RWBYond Generations
by mediaocrity4
Summary: It's been 20 years since the end of the Grimm War. Twenty years since the fall of Salem and 17 years since Vile tore Vale asunder. Now, a new generation of heroes and villains are on the rise. Lancaster and Renora kids with a Black Sun kid. Sequel to RWBYond Vale and RWBYond War.
1. Orange Origin

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: Happy 2017. As I upload this, it is officially 2017, and has been for mere seconds. This has been a long time coming. I'm excited to get to all the awesome stuff I have planned for this fic. But, it won't have the same consistent upload schedule some of my previous stories have. Just know, if there comes a time I haven't updated in a while, it's because I'm working on other stuff.**

Chapter 1: Orange Origin…Orangen?

Citrine stood in the middle of the arena. The Redstone scepters pulsated with energy. Black ink swirled in tubes in front of her. This was it, the final test. If she passed this, she would officially be accepted into Beacon. There wasn't a single thought of worry in her mind.

She put her back foot at an angle and raised Clockwork Rose to the defense. She knew that what was about to come would be a walk in the park. She knew her parents, her aunt, and Headmaster Qrow were watching. With all that in mind, a little bit of flash wouldn't hurt.

The black ink dripped from the container and spilled to the floor. Numerous beowolves took shape right before Citrine's eyes. As one of the beowolves howled, Citrine just grinned mockingly.

"I'm going to enjoy this." She said under her breath.

The beowolf started stalking towards her. Then, like a bullet, Citrine scattered and slammed into it. The beowolf's head slammed into the ground. Citrine jumped on its back and with a stylish spin, imbedded her shield into its skull.

A trio of beowolves flanked her and she back flipped out of the way. She threw her shield into one's head. Then she jumped into the air and used her wrist mounted, magnetic recall feature, or MRF. The shield returned to her as she spun in the air and knocked more Grimm away.

As she landed, a Grimm swung at her head. She blocked it with her shield and pushed the arm away. She then vaulted over the creature, grabbed its claw and put her shield to its shoulder blade. The Grimm that were still alive rushed to their brethren's aid. Perfect.

Her shield shifted a little bit. The thicker edge of the shield, the edge jammed into the Grimm, opened into a gun and blasted through the Grimm's shoulder and through the next one's face. She flipped over the next Grimm's swipe. Mid-dodge, she shot it in the face.

She moved to take a bow but the machine created more Grimm. So, just as they started running at her, she played her trump card. Well, the first of many. Apparently, they weren't going to be satisfied until they've properly gauged her abilities. Fat chance at that.

The gears and the threads snapped into place. She fired the shifting mechanism so that the shield extended into the Grimm's throat. As its alternate form took shape, she changed her stance. She wound her body like a spring. Then, as the next batch of Grimm were all in range, she spun the scythe around her whole body.

It ripped through the Grimm's soft, infantile hide. She helicoptered up and fired to keep spinning until one of them was dead. She dashed around, dodging the next batch of Grimm. She could have ended the fight so many times but she didn't want it to just be a victory. She wanted each kill strike to look like a work of art.

A twist and methodical strike here. A gorge attack here. An obnoxiously over complicated combination to turn the last opponent into mincemeat. And finished. As the orange petals drifted to the ground, she took a bow. Her small, captive, audience applauded.

A few minutes and a congratulation later and she was sitting on a bench in the Beacon courtyard, waiting for Qrow to officially accept her into the school. This time of year, Beacon was practically empty. The returning students were still on break and the new students wouldn't be officially arriving until later.

Her attention was caught when her parents walked out of Beacon tower, accompanied by Qrow. He had changed a lot since Citrine was a kid. His hair had greyed and his outfit was darker with red and green accents. His eyepiece glinted in the sun as he tried to look as official as possible. But everyone knew what was in his canteen.

"Congratulations Citrine…" Qrow said. "You're officially a student at Beacon Academy." He handed her a student ID. "A few ground rules, other than the ones you've already read and accepted."

"Yeah I…totally read those." Citrine smirked.

"First off…none of this Uncle Qrow business. And if you say great-uncle, I'll fail your next assignment. You'll address me as Professor, Headmaster or simply Qrow. I don't want any of this Professor Branwen business either."

"Understood un…I mean Qrow." She gave a cheerful salute.

"Alright." The old man turned around. "I'll see you in the spring." Citrine stared up at her parents.

"You were showing off." Jaune said.

"Yeah and…?" Citrine said.

"Just…be more careful out on missions and stuff."

"I know Dad." Citrine groaned.

"Come here." He pulled her up and kissed the top of her head. "We're proud of you."

"It's going to be so…" Ruby trailed off. "Different without you around the house." A tear fell down her face.

"Mom, are you crying?"

"No I just…yes…you're going to Beacon and the twins will be joining you in two years." Ruby started breaking down. Jaune put a hand on her shoulder. Citrine gave her a hug as well. It was then, that she realized she was a little taller than her mother now.

"You'll still have Argent for a while." Citrine reassured.

"That's true." Ruby whimpered. "And also…" She looked at Jaune.

"Now's as good a time as any." Jaune said.

"I'm pregnate." Ruby said. "I'm going to be a mother of five."

"What?" Citrine said. "That's crazy. You're like, forty."

"I'm thirty-eight." Ruby huffed.

"I'm forty." Jaune corrected. "That's still not too old to have kids. My dad was like, fifty by the time Amery was born."

"Oh yeah…you have like, seven sisters." Citrine mused. That made eight biological aunts for her. Citrine spotted someone riding a bike around the courtyard.

"Helios!" Ruby shouted.

"Hey Mrs. Rose-Arc." Helios shouted as he rode towards them.

"What are you doing here kid?" Jaune asked.

"Headmaster Qrow had a mission for me." Helios removed his helmet and goggles.

"A mission?" Ruby asked. "I thought you were just helping out the police force in Atlas."

"I was…but Ms. Winter and Qrow thought I could do some good around here. Apparently some unsavory individuals have skipped town and are hiding out here."

"Ooh…an underground criminal network?" Citrine said.

"Absolutely not." Ruby said.

"But you did it."

"The police were also completely ineffectual…and Ozpin let me get away with a lot of stuff he probably shouldn't have." Ruby defended. "Look, leave it to the police, unless you…and your TEAM, decide together, that you're capable of taking things on."

"Alright Mom." Citrine smarted off.

That's right, she also had a team to look forward to. She knew Nephrite was a shoe in and all Eiess needed was permission from her family. She didn't really know anyone else who was coming…at least not for sure. So, she had to try to be on the same team of at least one of them. Not that she wasn't perfectly able to talk to strangers but she worried the same couldn't be said about her two friends.

 **AN: And so it has begun. Much like RWBYond Vale, the first few chapters will be shorter. I see these first five chapters as sort of the equivalent to the trailers we got leading up to volume 1. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, leave a review.**


	2. A Single Shade of Grey

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: Welcome once again to RWBYond Generations where the names are made up and the chapter titles don't matter. I'm feeling especially adventures after doing a pretty long podcast.**

Chapter 2: A Single Shade of Grey

"Ladies and gentlemen." The droning announcer said. "Eisenhertz Schnee."

Eiess sat at the piano. She hated these balls. Did her mother really have nothing better to do with her time or money. Sure, it was for charity and her parents loved to watch her play. Yes, she was quite good at it. But so many people all watching her. Well, most of them could care less. The majority of them were drunk or close to it. No one actually cared about her.

No one cared that this fundraiser would help build secure defenses for fringe settlements. They were here because it was the Schnee Winter ball, there was exquisite drinks, exotic food, and the same snobby, pompous company that made these people feel like they were welcome.

She warmed up with some finger breaking arpeggios and scales. She then made a smooth transition into a lengthy melodramatic song. Not once, in the seven minutes she was up there, did she look at the audience. She didn't even look at her parents who were in the crowd.

When the song was over, she stood up to a light applause and walked off. She went back stage where the next few groups were preparing for their part of the concert. Eiess snuck her way to a different wing of the manor and towards her room. She had no desire to socialize but as the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, it was important to make an appearance. So she would, but only when it was absolutely required of her.

"That was a lovely performance." A voice startled her. It was her aunt Winter, holding a wine glass and dressed in a formal military suit.

"Thank you." Eiess said. She leaned to look around Winter and saw her parents approaching.

"It's good to see you again." Winter said as she moved closer and put a hand on her shoulder. Winter was so much taller than anyone in the family. Her white hair was kept in a precise bun, whereas Eiess' matching hair was in a lopsided ponytail. "I trust I'll be seeing a lot more of you in the coming semester."

"Actually…" Eiess didn't have the heart to tell her. She had sent applications to all five academies just to be safe. They all accepted of course but there was one school she had her heart set on. Beacon.

"What is it?" Winter said. Eiess' parents walked into the room.

"I want to go to Beacon." Eiess said.

"Oh…" Winter sounded shock.

"I'm sorry I just…" Eiess tried explaining.

"I'm not mad…" Winter said. "Just worried that Headmaster Branwen wouldn't be able to properly push you like I can."

"It's not that it's…"

"Beacon is where her friends are." Weiss stepped up. She too had a glass in her hand.

"Yeah." Eiess said.

"Well that's good to hear." Winter said. "Friends can be a powerful thing." She turned to Weiss. "Beacon is what made your mother into the woman she is today. That team is what made the world what it is today."

"I know." Eiess said. Truthfully, she had no idea how she could ever stack up to her mother's legacy. She was kind and strong and beautiful. She made the world a better place every chance she got. Even though she wasn't always home, in fact she was hardly ever home, her presence permeated through every hall of this ancient house.

"Of course, with your mother's permission…I would like to give you a test."

"A test?" Eiess said.

"Defeat a medium sized Grimm. It should be no problem for a true Schnee. We have one on hand…captured."

"Are you…" Eiess started.

"You have my permission." Weiss said.

"Mom?"

"It's just to see what you're capable of." Weiss said. "There is no real way to fail."

"Good…grab Monfriedan and meet me in the training room." Winter said. She walked off.

"Best to get dressed." Weiss said. She walked over and gave Eiess a hug. "I know you can do it."

About an hour later, Eiess was ready. She had Monfriedan, a cutlass with sliding dust chambers in the hilt and a few glyphs along the flat blade. She took the sword in hand as the Griffon emerged from the cage.

"Analyze, immobilize, kill…" Eiess repeated under her breath. The griffon lunged at her and she narrowly dodged. She put a glyph at her feet to slide away from its talons. The griffon flew towards her. This time, she wasn't so quick on the draw.

She barely managed to block the strike with her sword. The impact sent her sliding. The griffon pressed forward. She jumped into the air and it followed her. She cast a series of glyphs around the beast. She launched between them, hitting the monster several times. Its hide was too tough for her strikes to cut through.

The griffon hit Eiess with its tail and dove down at her. Eiess landed on a glyph and slid away only to be hit with a headbutt. The griffon lunged at her again and this time managed to land a clean strike. Eiess flew through the wall in a daze. Her aura was weak. Another blow like that would certainly do damage.

She pounded the ground and fought back the tears. She had failed to end the battle quickly. As she got a grasp of her surroundings, she realized she was in the next room, a study hall that was seldom used. She had crashed into a mantle with numerous old photos on it. She saw they were of her mother, probably when she was at Beacon.

The roar of the Grimm reminded her that she was still in a fight. That's right, she hadn't lost yet. There was still plenty she could do. She was her mother's daughter, heiress to one of the oldest and most noble families in history. Her mother had been similarly tested and was left with the scar on her eye. Eiess had no right to complain this time.

She put an explosive glyph in the air between her and the monster. It hit the glyph and was stunned. Eiess channeled lightning dust through her blade and struck the beast with a ranged attack. She cast glyphs to quickly close the distance. Her blade failed to cut through again, but this time she coated it in ice and aimed for the limbs.

The griffon was immobilized. She slid back to dodge the tail. She readied her sword and cast time dilation. Everything slowed to a crawl. Her mass and velocity wasn't enough. She couldn't do anything about the mass but she could alter the velocity.

She looked at the panicking Grimm. She noted what vital areas were the most flexible. She found her target, a fold in the neck. She didn't want to hedge her bets on cutting through the entire neck but she could at least put a gash in it. She stepped and swung forward, right on target.

A massive slit appeared on the Grimm's neck, exposing its red insides. The beast choked and twisted around. Eiess, instead of admiring her work, furiously hacked at the spot with a battle cry until the beast died and vanished.

"Eiess!" Her mother called. Eiess was embraced by her mother. "That was amazing. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks mom." Eiess said.

"Well done. It looks like you're more than ready for what Beacon has in store for you." She said Beacon with a hint of spite.

"I…made a bit of a mess." Eiess started cleaning.

"Eiess, we have people for that." Weiss said. "Klein will be more than happy to oblige."

"I know but…I think it's good to clean up after yourself."

"Fair enough." Weiss said. "I'll send Klein down to help."

"Thank you." Eiess said. Both her mom and aunt started walking off.

"This is just a way to get out of the party, isn't it?" Winter said.

"Maybe."

"Well…I've certainly came up with weaker excuses." She exited the room.

Eiess didn't really bother much with cleaning. She just wanted a look around the room, and an excuse to not go to the ballroom for a bit longer. She looked through some of the photos. Among them were pictures of her and Team RWBY.

They were all wearing dresses. She had never seen these photos before. They looked so young. There was one of Jaune, Citrine's father and a tall red-haired woman. This must've been when they were at Beacon. Eiess had heard that Jaune had been partnered with a girl named Pyrrha, who died during the 40th Vytal Tournament Tragedy.

The photo that caught her interest the most was one of her mother and a tall, blue-haired man. The photo seemed fairly more recent. They looked a bit older than they did in the dance photos. The photo had a date, Eiess recognized it as being shortly after the Grimm War ended. It was certainly a picture of a party. Weiss was kissing the boy in the picture. Eiess felt a twinge of curiosity. Sure, she knew her parents had surely dated other people before each other. But she had never heard of some handsome guy with blue hair.

There was also something familiar about him. Come to think of it, she recalled Nova saying her dad had a friend matching this description. But that wasn't it. She didn't know why, but she felt like prying further and figuring out who this guy was.

 **AN: So, was that a good introduction for Eiess? I think it was. I wanted to do more, but it wouldn't make sense for all this to happen at once. So, I'm spreading out that particular subplot throughout this arc. Please follow, favorite and review.**


	3. A Cup of Teal

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: This may be the shortest chapter in this first batch. I also, literally came up with the scenario so, no word on if this little subplot is going to matter anytime soon or in the foreseeable future.**

Chapter 3: A Cup of Teal

Topaz stood on the bow of the ship staring out at the sea. They'd be arriving in Vale sometime tomorrow depending on the wind and the waves. Once ashore, she would head to Beacon and take the first step in becoming a huntress.

She quickly wrapped her light blue hair in a bun and readjusted her blue trench coat. She smiled as she danced precariously on the edge of the ship. She had no fear of falling off. Even if she did, she'd just call the water to lift her back up.

"I'm surprised you picked Beacon over Haven." Her mother said.

"You and dad met there." Topaz extended her balance, took a deep breath, then did a handstand. "And neither of you were from Vale."

"True, but back then Beacon was the top ranked school. Everyone wanted to go there. But only the best would earn the scholarship to come there from another kingdom."

"Huh? I guess it's changed since then." Topaz set herself down. She jumped off the beam and onto solid footing.

"Yes, it has…your grandfather was sad that you didn't choose Haven."

"Yeah, the old man can stuff it." Topaz rolled her eyes.

"Topaz!"

"What? It's not like he's your father. Seriously though, he and grandma treat me like I'm five."

"Still, he's family and cares a lot about you."

"Well, I want to go to the unexplored shores. I haven't been to Vale much and I heard there's some great people going there."

"Arbiter Academy would have been just as interesting." Natalie argued.

"What, and have August watching over me and condescending my every move. I'd just as soon go to Atlas and be pestered by Rubrum."

"Most people would like the familiar faces." Her father, Rio, walked up. He had stylish blue hair and a similar trench coat to Topaz baring the same teardrop insignia of the Azul family.

"Well, I just want something a little more…new." Topaz said.

"And new water you shall travel." Rio said. He seemed to stare off into the distance.

"Dad?" Topaz said. Rio sighed.

"Pirates." He said.

"What?" Topaz looked where he was looking and saw the vessel heading for them.

The ship fired its canons at them. The dust blasts landed all around them, and one managed to graze the port side. Rio grabbed a rope on the mast and flipped a switch to launch himself up. The quartermaster Reyes took the wheel and started turning the ship into a defensive position.

Topaz and Rio stood at the defensive. Rio called the massive Poseidon construct. Topaz added to it by creating a small water cannon. She loved watching her dad go all out. It gave her something to strive for. Her father was in his twenties the first time he used the strongest Azul family construct. She had a long way to go and not a lot of time to get there.

Natalie dropped the anchor to make the ship do a quick and massive turn. Topaz ran and grabbed onto a rope. She used the ships momentum to swing herself around and land on the enemy ship. She pulled out Sharkbait, he long sword and parried the incoming gunfire. She called a water orb to her front as a shield. She then condensed the orb into a line of water bullets and shot the front line.

A large man with a black beard and a large golden sword swung down on her. He towered over Topaz, so she resorted to her secondary style. The blade of her sword condensed by an inch and the handle extended into a long spear.

"So, this vessel is under the protection of the Azul family." The pirate said.

"This vessel IS the Azul family." Topaz twirled her spear around and deflected his first attack. The second attack came faster than she could see. All she heard was the clang of the metal behind her. She turned and saw her mother had blocked the attack.

"Zwart Baard." Natalie said.

"My reputation proceeds me." Zwart said.

"You're wanted for piracy and murder in all five kingdoms." Natalie said. The fight moved father than Topaz's eyes could follow. Everywhere her mother dashed, he was right there on her. A black mist came from his mouth and clouded the ship. Apparitions of skeletons took shape and solid form.

They swung at Topaz, and she batted them away. No matter how many times she put them down, they got back up. She was wearing thin under their relentless assault. But this man was holding his own against her mother. She needed to give support however she could. At least until…

As if on cue, Rio busted a hole deep in the hull. The ship started to sink. The skeletons all clattered and turned to dust. Natalie landed an explosive arrow to Zwart's head. Rio blasted another hole and the sinking increased.

"You win this round." Zwart said. He took out a black gem and slammed it to the ground. The world distorted around Topaz. It was as if everything started twisting and spiraling into the point of impact.

"Topaz!" Her mother grabbed her shoulder and teleported away. They were back safe on their own ship. The pirate ship collapsed into that one point and vanished.

"What the hell was that?" Topaz cursed.

"That…was Zwart Baard." Rio said. "And now we know how he's alluded capture so far."

"Rio…" Natalie said shakenly.

"I know…I'll tell the…proper…authorities." Rio said. "The important thing is that we're safe and none of us ar3e hurt. Wins across the board. Drinks are on me when we reach Vale."

"Hell yeah." Topaz said.

"Not you, young lady." Natalie said.

"But mom…"

"You're too young for that sort of thing."

Topaz grumbled under her breath. They've let her drink before but only on special occasions. And she knew that this disapproval meant they were doing public drinking. Which she wouldn't be able to do for another year.

"You performed well." Rio said. Topaz shrugged. She was unsatisfied with her performance. "No need to worry that you weren't stronger than him. He's a high ranked criminal. And you're only about to begin your first of four years at Beacon."

"I know." Topaz said. "And I can't wait to see what I can do."

 **AN: This chapter was a bit of a pain. I probably could have had Topaz just bantering the whole chapter and I would have been fine. But I wanted at least a bit of a demonstration of her prowess (because I'm basically paralleling RWBY). Next time you'll get the most laid back of the bunch.**


	4. A Touch of Jade

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: So, this chapter could be really short or really long. I'm doing mostly dialogue. The thing I want to do with Nephrite is for her to have the same semblance as Ren does in canon. Since we don't know Ren's semblance, there's not going to be a lot of all-out fights with her for a while.**

Chapter 4: A Touch of Jade

Nephrite was having a busy morning. This was the last day before classes started up. The question on her, her siblings', and her parents' mind was how often she would be home. For many students, home was halfway around the world, in an outskirt village, or an island. Several of the students would be coming in from Spring Academy in Vale and would have family in the city.

Nephrite uniquely grew up on Beacon's grounds. She attended Spring Academy for the last four years. But Beacon was her home. Her family had been living in Branwen Hall, the teacher residents, all her life. It had gotten pretty crowded over the years. What, with all the kids running around.

Right now, Nephrite was practicing her coordination and doing her stretches. She was doing this by doing the splits across two chairs while drinking tea and flipping pancakes. She was a perfect arbiter of tranquility. She just took deep breaths and tuned out Chénzi's bickering with Lánméi. Her mother was also up and singing a song in a pitch that would make the calmest man break.

"Good morning!" She gave Nephrite a kiss on the cheek. "How's my b-e-a-utiful peace of jade doing this morning."

"I'm doing nicely." Nephrite responded.

"Ooh, pancakes…my favorite." She moved to dip her finger in the batter but Nephrite caught her mother's fingers with chopsticks.

"Not until they're done." Nephrite said evenly.

"That was a test and you passed." Nora said. "So, excited to have me as a teacher?"

"Not really." Nephrite said. She saw her mother's face sink. "I mean, I'm certainly ready and I'm sure you're amazing it's just that I'm pretty sure I know what to expect." She recovered.

"Well, you'll be seeing you father more than me." Nora swatted her back. Nephrite's muscles strained from the impact. She put a hand on the counter and regained her composure. She flipped the last pancake onto a plate.

"Just two for now." Nephrite said. Nora shrugged and took two pancakes.

"Pancakes are done!" Nora shouted. Lánméi and Chénzi rushed into the room and took their pancakes. Nephrite bent her body backwards carefully. She put her hands on the chair and lifted her legs high up before easing herself down.

"Mom, where's papa?" Chénzi asked. He dumped syrup all over his pancake. Lánméi followed suit with her favorite blueberry flavored syrup. The younger girl then put her finger in the syrup and wiped it on Chénzi's orange hair.

"Got you." Lánméi said.

"Mama!"

"Both of you settle down." Nephrite said sternly. Nora gave them a scary look but Nephrite could tell she was holding back laughter. She could be such a child sometimes.

"Your father had to go to his office early today. He's got a large workload as both the aura and combat instructor." Nora explained. "He also decided to take Rosaline with him today."

"Have you talked to Uncle Jaune at all?" Nephrite asked.

"Not today." Nora said. "Why?"

"I was just wondering if Citrine was going to come early or something."

"You could always just call her." Nora shrugged.

"I know. I just think it's weird to call people out of the blue."

"It's not out of the blue. You'll be classmates tomorrow." Nora said. "You'll be in a dorm room with your team."

"I'll just be across campus."

"The point is, you'll need to link up your scrolls." Nora said. "You're not going to afford to be bashful or antisocial."

"I know mom and I'm not antisocial. I'm introverted, there's a difference." Nephrite said as she ate more of her pancake.

"I know my little jade stone." Nora pinched her cheek until it went red. Nephrite found at a very early age, mostly from watching her dad, that it was better to just let these things happen. The more she fought the worse her mom would get.

"Mom!" Lánméi said with her mouth full of syrup.

"Chew your food blueberry." Nora quipped. The younger girl swallowed.

"Can I go to my friend's house?" Lánméi said.

"Is she picking you up?"

"I was hoping you would take me."

"Then the answer is no."

"But Mom!"

"No butts." Nora drank her coffee. "After this I need to go to my office and do my final paperwork."

Lánméi muttered something under her breath as she toyed with her food. Chénzi laughed and Lánméi punched him in the arm. Chénzi punched her back and a fight broke out. Nora grabbed Lánméi and Nephrite grabbed Chénzi.

"Break it up you two." Nephrite said.

"Or I'll break you." Nora added. The two younger siblings swallowed and stopped. "Great...Chartreuse will be here in a few minutes to baby sit."

"Ew, why is she babysitting?" Chénzi asked.

"Because your father wants Nephrite to come to his office." Nora said. Nephrite's heart skipped a beat. She had nearly forgotten. "She'll be around campus all day. So, she can't watch you." On the up side, Nephrite didn't think she could watch them today.

A few hours later she headed to Beacon Tower. Her father had lunch ready for her. Her mother had long since gone to her office. The younger siblings were with the baby sitter. There were a few stragglers along the way. They were all early arrivers from the Vale area. They stayed in the transfer student dorm rooms assigned at random. Nephrite heard the sound of drilling as the construction team put the finishing touches on the new fine arts building.

She reached her dads office half way up Beacon tower. She knocked diligently. When there was no answer, she assumed he either wasn't in or was meditating. So, she let herself in and peeked inside. Her father's office was decorated in paintings and tapestries of flowers and old Mistral symbols. The whole room matched the family color scheme of blue, pink, orange and green. And there her father was, meditating on a floor mat.

Nephrite knew she took after him. Not a day went by that her mother hadn't paraded that fact. Apparently, when she was pregnant, she prayed that their first born would take after him. But it wasn't just attitudes, it was looks. They wore a similar green traditional outfit. They both had luscious black hair and pink eyes. They both dyed a strand of said black hair pink. Though, where her father let it hang from his head, Nephrite had taken care to braid it and hang it in front of her shoulder.

"Papa?" She walked over to him. She controlled her aura to where it just coated the tip of her finger. She gently poked through his aura with it, just enough to get his attention without breaking whatever exercise he was doing. Sure, she could have just as easily shook him and he wouldn't have mind. But6 she had been taught to treat others like she would want them to treat her. And she would be angry if someone shook her while she was meditating.

"Ah Nephrite." Ren said. "Have a seat." Nephrite crossed her legs next to him. He grabbed a lunch box and pulled out two trays of sushi and two things of salad. "Have something to eat." He passed one of each to her. She didn't see Rosaline so she assumed her mother had collected her.

"Thank you." They both opened the lunches, took their chopsticks and ate.

"I imagine you'll be doing a lot of cooking." Ren said.

"What makes you say that?"

"Apart from you being good at it…most parents don't teach their kids how to cook right. Anyone can throw in a pizza or boil up some noodles."

"Did you cook for your team?"

"Almost every day." Ren said. "Pyrrha and Jaune were definitely in the category of making pizza, noodles or sandwiches. Your mother could barely even do that. Breakfast and lunch here are great and free for most students but dinner is rather expensive. Most students eat out a lot or make their own food."

"I can see that. It's going to be strange. Sure, I'll be less than a mile away but…managing my own money, dealing with new people...it'll all be new. Even if I end up on a team with Citrine and Eiess, I've never spent more than a week with them. Even when I did, I would have my own room."

"You're going to be fine." Ren said. "This is the start of your adventure that is adulthood. And every journey begins with the first step."

"Well, this step is small."

"For you. Remember, Citrine is coming from a small town and Eiess is coming from half way across the globe. Even so, the step may be greater than you think."

"Maybe." Nephrite sighed. She quickly finished her food and got into a meditative state.

"If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask." Ren said. They weren't as much for conversation as her mother or the other kids were. They would just sit in silence for hours either reading, meditating or admiring art. That's who he was and she was her father's daughter. There was no denying it there.

 **AN: First chapter to not have action in it. Wooh? I thought Nephrite would be harder to write, but she's like a slightly more talkative Ren. In fact, of the six leads in this, she may be the one closest to me personality wise.**


	5. Nova Wukong

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: Onward to the plot. But first, a little bit of divergence. This chapter takes place the same night as last chapter but for reasons is set in Vacuo. There's five leads in this story and we've only met four of them.**

Chapter 5: Nova Wukong

Nova diligently worked at the lock on the door. She knew the Gashouse Gang were inside. She had been tracking them for weeks now. This was definitely their safe house. All she had to do was pick this lock and she'd be a hero. Of course, some skulls would need to be cracked but these guys weren't exactly the Chaos Syndicate.

She silently cheered as the padlock snapped open. She gently opened the door and snuck in. She took Jumelle Buteur, her swords, and crouched down behind a crate. The warehouse was dimly lit. She could see a dozen goons walking around in black suits. Perfect.

She fired the grappling hook in her left-hand sword and repelled up to the cat walk. She took her right-hand gun and fired a bullet into the power coupling. The whole place went dark. But as a Faunas, she had no problem with a lack of light.

"What the?" The first goon said before Nova scissor kicked him in the face. She spun around and threw him off the catwalk. Flashlights began flickering on. Nova hooked a guy with her grappler and yanked him off the adjacent catwalk. The hook recoiled into the hilt and she latched it onto the railing. Two lights came on under her. She repelled down and kicked both thugs in the face. With an ascending spin and several quick strikes to their legs she took them out.

"Freeze!" There were four lights on her. She slowly turned around.

"It's just one."

"She's just a kid."

"You messed with the wrong people you little brat." The fourth thug said. He swung a bat at her. She parried it and dropped a smoke bomb. The noxious fumes caused the other three to fire into their friend. Nova repelled up.

She took aim while hanging upside down. She spotted a lone gunman running to join them. She shot him three times before dropping onto the group of three below her. She linked her swords' hilts into a staff saber. She blocked and deflected the pistol fire of the remaining five people. She ran up to them and slashed at their weapon. She split her weapon again to deflect bullets from both directions.

She slashed at one of their necks and another one's arm. They fell unconscious, their pathetic aura failing to keep up from her medial strikes but holding up enough to keep the wounds from being fatal.

Nova felt a stink of pain as pellets from a shotgun grazed her shoulder. She was thrown into a crate. The last man towered over her. She flickered her semblance. The shotgun was pointed at her head. She looked at it with absolute hatred. She succeeded in splitting herself. The clone leaped from behind the crate only to be shot from the sky.

Nova took advantage of the situation and stabbed the man in the stomach. But the blade bounced off his aura. He grabbed her raven hair and lifted her up. Someone dropped down behind him and hit him in the head.

"Nova Wukong!" Her father stared down at her.

"Crap." She mumbled.

He dragged her into the car and locked her in. He then started driving back towards their house. Vacuo was a city that seemed like a ghost at night. There were so few lights on and fewer people out and about. Sun gave a sigh.

"I could have taken him." Nova said.

"That's not the point. You went in there without any real evidence and picked a fight with a dangerous gang." Sun argued.

"Well, at least I had a plan." Nova argued.

"Yeah, a dumb one that had you in there alone with twenty guys."

"There were twelve." Nova said.

"Oh, that's not so…never mind. You're in trouble and you're lucky I don't tell the police what happened."

"They'd see me as a hero."

"No, they'd see you as a nuisance. You can't just run off whenever it tickles your fancy."

"I'm not running off. I'm not like mom!" Nova shouted out. Sun just glared at the road ahead.

"Your mother didn't just run. She's been on missions, you know that."

"She missed my birthday!"

"And I know she feels guilty about that."

"Have you even talked to her?"

"I did, about a month ago, I already told you this."

"A month. It's been a month since she's even bothered to tell us she's alright."

"She's with friends doing the world a lot of good. Not going off halfcocked into a gang hideout."

"Nova, you can't keep going on like this." Sun said. "How many times can you jump into danger by yourself and come out on top."

"As many times, as it takes to do some good around here." Nova shot back.

"Nova I've been doing a lot of thinking…and I've been talking with some of my friends…I think I have a way you can do some good without getting yourself killed."

"What?"

"Headmaster Qrow Branwen has agreed to let you come into Beacon a year early."

"Really?" Nova said.

"Yes." Sun said. "On a trial basis, of course. You'll be put on a team…"

"I'll be with my friends."

"That was one of the reasons I pulled these strings. They'd be a good influence for you. Nova, what you need more than anything is an outlet. Beacon can be that outlet if you choose it to be."

"I'll do it." Nova said.

"I knew you would. I already have your bags packed."

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"You're going to be alright? Here alone I mean?"

"New semester starting so…you know how it goes. I'll probably barely notice that you're gone." He said solemnly. "Just…be safe, make friends and please for the love of all that is holy, don't pick any fights. Most of all with your classmates."

"I'll try." Nova said. They pulled into the driveway.

"That's my girl." He cupped her cheek. "Get in the shower. I'll swing by Amore's and get us a pizza."

"Thank you." She gave him a hug and exited the car.

 **AN: Nova, may be the most interesting as far as plot stuff goes. We didn't get much into that but she's the one with a clear and concise goal. She may be Blake and Sun's kid but she has a lot of influence from someone else who she idolizes. And it's not the first person you'd think, though there is some influence there as well.**


	6. Emerging Bonds

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: This chapter should be a lot of fun. Establishing character dynamics is important for anything that has a theme of friendship. Something that this story has that's different, is that the principle cast already knows each other.**

Chapter 6: Emerging Bonds

Eiess stood in the airship. It was a top of the line, personal vehicle. The luxurious craft passed between the city of Vale and the nearby island of Patch. Eiess stood by the window and caught glimpses of Signal Academy as well as some of the other large buildings in the small settlement.

"Huh…" Eiess said. "That's Citrine's school."

"It was Citrine's school." Flint said. "She's going to Beacon now too." Eiess turned around to look at her family. Her mother was sitting calmly tapping furiously at her scroll while taking sips of her scotch. Flint was sitting next to her. His eyes were fixated on Eiess. Nicholas was at his side, typing away at his game.

"Of course, I knew that." Eiess said. "It's still Prim and Glade's school."

"You're right about that." Flint said. Eiess sighed. "Is everything alright princess?"

"Yes, it's just…I'm dreadfully nervous."

"Don't be." Weiss spoke up. She stood and met her daughter with a hand on her shoulder. "You're a Schnee. You passed all the entrance exams plus the one Winter gave you. You more than earned your place here. I have no doubts that you will thrive here and reach heights you could never imagine."

"If you say so." Eiess bit her bottom lip. Sure, she was a Schnee. But that was only half of it. In her digging she had found the possibility that the man she called father, was not her real dad. Not that it would affect her relationship with him. He loved her, which was something Eiess knew she needed so much more of. No, the bond with her father was unbreakable, stronger than the bond she shared with her mother. And therein lied the problem. Who was she?

"Of course, I say so." Weiss pulled her into a halfhearted hug. "You're my daughter after all. You are born for greatness. And that doubt in your mind, ignore it. But don't ignore the humility. With that, I'm sure you'll form bonds stronger than I could ever hope for."

The ship halted and the doors opened. They had arrived at Beacon. The doors opened to the courtyard. The statue of the school's founders, Arthur Arc and Acacia Glens stood within view. The tower stood as a monument to mans' tenacity. And three figures stood at the bottom of the ramp waiting for the Schnees to emerge.

"Eiess!" Citrine hollered.

"Wiess!" Ruby followed suit. Both Roses dashed into their Schnee equivalent. Eiess hitched her breath as Citrine wrapped her arms around her.

"Welcome to Beacon." Citrine said as she pulled away.

"It's nice to see you Citrine." Eiess said as she averted the silver gaze.

"Hello Eiess." Ruby said as she messed Eiess' hair.

"Hello Mrs. Ruby."

"Always with the niceties." Ruby smirked.

"Of course, I didn't raise some savage." Weiss retorted. "Hello Citrine."

"Hey Mrs. Schnee." Citrine said with a smile.

"Hello." Nephrite came out from behind Ruby and gave a bow. Eiess returned in kind.

"I see you brought Flint and…" Ruby gave a big gasp. "Little baby Nicholas." She squealed. She ran up and pinched the ten-year-old's cheeks. "He's gotten so big and cute! I can't wait to have another one."

"Another one?"

"Hehe." Ruby scratched her head just like Citrine had. "My due date is the end of summer."

"You're three months pregnant…again?" Weiss said. "God Ruby, how are you paying for all these kids?"

"Oh, you know…high risk high reward missions…putting my life on the line on a consistent basis…that sort of stuff."

"Only you would play so fast and loose with your own mortality." Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "No matter…Citrine is practically an adult now." Weiss walked over to the orange-clad guardian. "If you ever need anything, especially if it's a problem that can be solved with money…please don't hesitate."

"I know, I know." Citrine brushed it off.

"So, what are you up to these days?" Weiss asked.

"Well, mostly helping out on farms and such." Ruby showed her calloused hands. "It's gratifying work…you should try it sometime."

"I'd rather just oversee mining projects." Weiss huffed.

"So how'd all three of you make it anyway?" Ruby said. "Doesn't Flynt and Nick have school?"

"Atlas' initiation takes longer than Beacons. Though, he has to leave tonight if he's to make it."

"Sorry I can't stay long." Flint said.

"I was only to come here because I wrote it off as a business venture." Weiss said.

"Psst." Citrine whispered in Eiess ear. "Come on, let's go explore around."

"But…" Eiess tried stopping her but Citrine grabbed her hand and ran off. Eiess had a mini panic attack. She didn't know if it was from the impulsiveness, the physical contact, how she was being pulled away from her family or if it was just Citrine.

"Now that we're away from the grownups…" Citrine said. "Look at all the amazing weapons the other students have."

"It is an impressive year." Nephrite said.

"Gah, Nephrite, how did you catch up so fast?" Citrine freaked out.

"I have my ways." Nephrite said flatly.

They looked around the courtyard. Everyone seemed to be gathered in their own pockets. Some were flaunting their weapon or semblance. Others were watching them do so. There was a girl with long blonde hair playing a flute in a tree. Mice and birds gathered around her and put on a little dance show. Eiess was enthralled by the display, as were many people.

Eiess even spotted Topaz flaunting were aquakinesis. They just smiled and waved at each other. Both Eiess and Citrine were acquainted with Topaz but calling her a friend would be a bit of a stretch. Then they heard someone being slammed into a wall.

"What're you looking at teme." A familiar voice growled.

"Is that Nova?" Citrine had the same thought as Eiess.

"N-nothing. I was just looking at your tail." A tall blonde haired boy with starry blue eyes pleaded.

"What about my tail is so interesting?" Nova had one hand on his collar and the other balled into a fist.

"I-I've never met a Faunas before." He explained. "I was trying to figure out what kind of Faunas you were."

"You could have just asked." Nova growled.

"I, I didn't want to intrude. I thought that you might take offense to such a question."

"As if I'm not taking offense now." Nova hissed.

"Nova!" Citrine said loudly. "Play nice!" Nova scowled at Citrine and set the boy down.

"Nova." Eiess gave a little curtsy.

"Eiess." Nova said.

"What are you doing here?" Citrine asked.

"What does it look like?" Nova crossed her arms. "I'm going to school here now."

"Really?" Citrine gleamed.

"Yeah, my dad was like, oh you need friends and you need a hobby and you need to stop beating up people who deserve it." She said mockingly.

"Sounds rough." Citrine said. "You know what this means?" Citrine jumped up into the air. "We can all be a team!"

"Team…CERN…serene?" Nephrite pondered. "CENN…sienna…ENNC…ink…"

"That's for Uncle…er I mean, Professor Qrow to decide."

"I wonder what the initiation ceremony is going to entail." Eiess said.

"That doesn't matter silly." Citrine said as she swatted Eiess' back.

"Citrine's right." Nephrite said. "This year only twelve people made it into the huntsmen program. Compared to the average twenty people that tend to make it in. My dad said that they upped the requirements for the program."

"Than what about all these other people?" Eiess asked.

"It's not like Atlas." Nephrite said.

"But it's close." Citrine said. "Atlas serves as a huntsmen and military academy. Therefore, there are multiple levels. Beacon is a huntsmen academy but it's also the only university in Vale. There's people from all walks of life here."

"So, it's like Atlas and Olympia combined?" Eiess asked.

"Close enough." Nephrite said.

"Toko Eiess, I thought you were smart."

"I only know it from my dad." Citrine said.

"Same." Nephrite said.

"Yeah so do I." Nova said. "And all our dads are teachers at some school."

"I guess Mantle is still very different than the other kingdoms." Eiess said weakly.

"So, Nephrite…any idea on the punk I nearly had to put down?"

"No. I haven't looked at the registrars for this semester."

"You disappoint me." Nova scorned.

"It's not exactly fair." Nephrite said.

"But your parents are top teachers here." Nova argued.

"And I don't like taking advantage of them. Especially when I know you're up to no good."

"Hmph." Nova looked away.

"So…what classes are you all taking." Citrine pulled out her phone. "I know that we don't get our actual schedules until teams are assigned but we could compare what classes we have."

They all pulled out their scrolls. They all had most of the same classes. Eiess was the only one who was in the second level dust class. Nova was in a lower level math than anyone. Nephrite and Citrine both had a herbology class. Eiess and Nephrite, different science classes aside, had the same workload with second level aura, dust and math. Citrine was in a literature class instead of a language class.

"It's infuriating." Nova said. "Knowing that I'm a year behind so they're giving me some baby classes."

"Cheer up Nova." Citrine said. "We'll have some classes together I'm sure."

"I wonder if this is how your mom felt." Nova said. "When she was pushed two years ahead." Citrine shrugged. "No matter. I won't be left behind."

Eiess smiled at her friends. She was nervous. Nervous that she was too far ahead. She barely had the same classes as Citrine or Nova. All she could do was hope that fate was kind to her and let her be on a team with some people she knew. She was also nervous about her core classes. The classes that weren't huntsmen specific would surely be populated with non-huntsmen students. They'd probably hate her. Not only was she a huntress in training but she was a Schnee. She didn't even have her father's humble beginnings to fall back on anymore.

"Will all first-year huntsmen students come to the assembly area on the double!" An enthusiastic Nora said over the intercom."

 **AN: So, the table is set. By the way, my OCD kicked in and I actually made full schedules for all the major characters. It'll help me keep things on track for certain plot points. Please be sure to leave a review. I love hearing from you all.**


	7. Jumping Ship

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: Still going for the slow burn on this story. I want people to care about these characters and their relationships before I start throwing them in terrible scenarios. I'm also doing something different with the initiation.**

Chapter 7: Jumping Ship

Topaz made it into the auditorium and sunk into the crowd. It was a pretty small crowd. The rumors that Beacon had increased their requirements must've been true. Not only that but over half seemed to be children of Beacon alumni. Citrine Rose, Eiess Schnee, Nephrite Ren, Nova Wukong, the list went on.

"Topaz!" Citrine called out.

"Hey Citrine." Topaz said. The orange-clad shield barer walked up to her.

"I saw you earlier." Citrine said.

"Yeah." Topaz said. "So, how have you been?" Eiess, Nephrite and Nova walked up behind Citrine.

"I've been doing fine." Citrine said. "I'm getting another brother or sister later this year."

"That's…interesting." Topaz said. The mic hissed. Topaz drew her attention back to the stage. Headmaster Qrow Branwen walked up to the mic. His silver hair was neatly combed back. His red eye piece glistened in the light.

"Greetings." Qrow said. "Welcome, to Beacon Academy. I am your esteemed headmaster Qrow. You are all here in pursuit of knowledge. Or perhaps you're here to prove your worth. Maybe you think you have something to say and becoming a huntsman or huntress is the best way for you to say it. But being a huntsman isn't about getting a certificate. It's about becoming the best you can be. It's about taking a journey, learning about yourself as much as the world around you." Qrow stepped back and a woman walked up.

"You will sleep in the ballroom tonight." The lavender haired woman said. "Tomorrow at the brink of dawn, you will be taking the initiation test. It will serve as both your first graded assignment and the means of which your team is selected. May I advise you to converse with your schoolmates. These are the people you will be working with for the next four years. And three of them will be your teammates. That is an absolute certainty."

"Who was that?" Topaz asked as the woman exited the stage.

"Her name with Shangsheng Feng." Nephrite said. "She's the dust instructor."

"Ah." Topaz said. "So, what are you all doing tonight?"

"I was going to converse with some of the others." Citrine said.

"Have fun. I've already met all the people in the class while I was flaunting my abilities."

"Alright…" Citrine said. "Have fun doing whatever it is you do."

"Hey Nephrite…" Topaz said. "There's a pool around here, right?"

"Yes. It's over by the dorms." Nephrite answered.

"Well then…Hey everyone!" Topaz got everyone's attention. "There's a pool by the dorms. I'm going for a swim. Feel free to join me."

Topaz walked off to the locker room. She put her equipment in her locker and changed into her bathing suit. She knew that this would certainly catch some eyes and turn some heads. She walked to the dorm building with a towel in hand. There were two pools, an indoor and an outdoor. Because of the crisp spring air, Topaz decided on the indoor pool. She got herself a cup of orange juice from a concession stand and took a dip in the pool. It didn't take long for several others to join her.

"Hey it's Topaz, right?" A redhaired boy said.

"Correct." Topaz took a sip from her juice box.

"Scotland Yard." He put his hand out for a shake. Topaz obliged him. "So, you from around here?"

"Not really." Topaz said. "I grew up on a boat. My dad's a sea hunter so, we travel a lot."

"I saw you already had friends."

"Our parents are friends." Topaz explained. "I mean, the girl in the orange hood, you know who her parents are right?"

"Of course, I know." Scot said. "Everyone knows Ruby Rose…at least from reputation."

"Yeah, my dad used to travel with her…for a short time." Topaz said.

"Is that so?" Scot dunked himself and swan around a bit. "My parents know her dad…the Arcs. I'm from Lighthouse so…yeah pretty much everyone knows the Arcs there."

"Lighthouse Academy accounts for half the student body." Topaz said. "It's a pretty big school."

"Yeah but…I wouldn't call any of these people my friends. I tended to get picked on a lot."

"I was homeschooled." Topaz said. "I only know people because of how much I traveled. But you're here now. We're all here for the same goal…even if we have our own reasons."

"Yeah…anyway…I'm probably going to go get ready for tomorrow." Scot said. "I have a really high maintenance weapon. I need to be ready to fight to my fullest at initiation."

"Any idea what initiation consists of?"

"I heard that they mix it up a bit every year." Scotland said. "Just gotta be ready for anything." He grinned as he exited.

"Well good luck."

"Same to you." Scotland dried himself off and left.

Topaz stayed in the pool for a few more hours before she decided to get out. She had a few more conversations but none of them were meaningful. Most of them were guys just trying to hit on her. She wasn't above leading them on…it was fun sometimes…but only just.

After she changed into her nightgown and set herself up she went right to sleep. It didn't take long, she was always a heavy sleeper. The next day she was the first one up. There was a note on the locker room door for all students to meet up at the air dock.

She quickly got ready and headed to get breakfast. There were two other people up when she got there. A blonde headed boy and Nephrite. They were both keeping to themselves. Topaz wondered who she should converse with. She ended up going for Nephrite, it was too early to be talking to boys.

"Good morning." Topaz took a seat. Nephrite nodded in recognition. The boy across the room scarfed down a bowl of cereal and headed out. "Did you see the sign?"

"Yes." Nephrite said. "Did you sleep well?"

"I could sleep well on a ship in the middle of a thunderstorm. This was child's play."

"I'm glad you did. I'm not use to sleeping on a floor. I feel bad for Eiess. She's probably used to the softest beds money can buy."

"Everyone will have to get used to it." Topaz said as she took a bight out of her apple. "It comes with the job."

"Trust me I know." Nephrite said. "Anyone with huntsmen parents probably gets it shoved down their throats." Nephrite said with genuine spite on the level that made Topaz chuckle a bit.

"And unlike me you can't get away from them." Topaz said. "You're probably the unluckiest person in this school." Topaz finished her apple and muffin.

"I don't know…maybe I can take advantage of that." Nephrite smiled. They both stood up and went to the airship. There were a few others waiting. The blonde kid from before was standing awkwardly. Two girls were staring at him, practically drooling. Nova and Scot were there too.

"Hmph." Nova said.

"You know one of these guys?" Topaz asked.

"That idiot being gawked at is the one who copped a feel on my tail yesterday." Nova fumed.

"Oh…" Topaz said. The last stragglers gathered round, Citrine was the last to arrive, with half a waffle hanging from her mouth. Qrow and Feng emerged from the ship.

"So, you're all here." Qrow said.

"Yes sir." Citrine said with a syrupy smile and salute. Eiess took out a handkerchief and wiped the sap from Citrine's face like a mother tending to a child. "Thank you." Citrine whispered.

"Alright maggots!" A familiar voice boomed. Nora stepped out of the ship. "Welcome to your initiation. This year the testing ground is Mountain Glenn."

She left a moment of silence and confusion. This was to be expected. One of the reasons area had been so dangerous was because the dragon that was sealed in the mountain drew Grimm to the city. Now, that dragon was sealed beneath the Emerald Forest, the previous favored spot for Beacon tests. But Topaz had heard Forever Fall had become a more favored spot since the end of the Grimm War. Then again, mixing things up.

"Your objective is simple." Feng said. "You will be launched out of the ship as we fly over Mountain Glenn. Your objective is to find a partner after you land. Then find one of six relics scattered throughout the city. After you have the relic, exfiltrate to the old hospital, where the airship will be waiting."

"Wait, but Mountain Glenn is massive." A blonde girl perked up. Topaz recognized her as the one who was playing the flute yesterday, Ariadne.

"Ms. Glasgorm." Qrow said. "That is up to you. This is a test of both your valor, and your critical thinking skills. Do not hesitate to destroy any Grimm in your way." He looked in the blonde-haired boy's direction. "Think like a huntsman. Consider these relics like survivors of a tragedy."

"Now, everyone on board on the double!" Nora cheered.

 **AN: I thought of making it just a bit longer. I was going to show who Topaz gets partnered with. But I've thought of a way to do that with next chapter as well. So, the game is afoot and the initiation has begun.**


	8. Leap of Faith

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: So, we're in the final stretch of volume 4. It's been pretty good overall. It'll be over in about a month, then a bunch of writers will come out of the woodwork with their post volume 4 fics that will be outdated when volume 5 starts and…I'm just going to keep playing around with the new generation. It's kind of liberating to not worry about canonicity and just have fun with all the shows ideas and then some.**

Chapter 8: Leap of Faith

Nova stood at the ready. The crowded bullhead was about to dump its cargo. Everyone will be scattered around the abandoned city. They will be forced to make allies with whoever they meet up with after that. Then, they need to find the relic and get back to the ship.

Citrine was launched out of the ship first. She scattered in the air with a glee. People started piling out after that and scattering. Nova leaped out and spun in the air. She took her grappling hook and connected it with a rooftop. She swung through the air and retracted the hook. She fired it again to swing towards the ground. She landed with a thud in an alleyway.

She heard a low growl behind her. A creep ran up to her with its jaw open. Nova twirled her swords and sliced it along the side with one blade. A second creep charged her. She jumped in the air and stabbed down on it. A bright light radiated through the alley. Nova ran around the corner to investigate.

"Oh no, not you again!" Nova said. It was the blonde kid who had tried grabbing her tail the day before.

"Hey." He said bashfully. Nova grit her teeth. She DID NOT want to be paired up with this idiot. But the rules required working together. Even if they weren't on a team they would need to work together as classmates. She walked over to him and grabbed him by the collar of his brown hoodie.

"Get in my way, and I'll break you." Nova threatened.

"No need to worry about me." He said. "The names Johnny Clay."

"Nova." She put him down.

"Nova…that's a pretty name."

"Can the flattery." Nova said. She tried leading the way down the street. Johnny walked by her side.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Johnny asked.

"We're looking for a relic." Nova answered.

"Well, yeah but any ideas where it would be?"

"There's plenty around the city." Nova said.

"Hmm." Johnny put his knuckle to his lip. "They said to treat these relics as survivors. Where would we most likely find survivors?"

"I don't know." Nova said. "Never exactly been in a falling city."

"Well, where would people be gathered. Where would they go after an attack?"

"Are you asking or trying to get me to guess."

"Basements…apartment complexes with basements. Hospitals and other heavily fortified zones."

"So, where do we find them?" Nova asked. Johnny pointed up.

"You're the one with the grappling hook." Johnny said.

"How did you…never mind." Nova grappled up. She looked around and spotted some buildings. She spotted the hospital where the airship was docking. Nova spotted some of her classmates in the distance. It looked like Topaz was with Nephrite. Eiess had managed to convene with Citrine…lucky her. She spotted a police station nearby. It was desolate and destroyed. The turrets that guarded it were in disrepair. Still, it could be a good place to find a relic.

"See anything?" Johnny asked as she descended. "Police station about a block away."

"Let's head over there." Johnny shrugged. He walked with his hands in his hoodie pocket. "So, where are you from?"

"Vacuo." Nova answered.

"Like, the actual city?"

"Yep."

"Never took you for a city girl." Johnny said.

"Vacuo is hardly a city. It's still Vacuo."

"I've never been. I'm from Vale, the outskirt village…Torch Academy to be specific."

"I didn't ask."

"Right…so about that…Get down!" Johnny tackled her to the ground as an ursa crashed through a building. Nova heard a flute fluttering and machine gun firing.

"Any time now Scotland." The blonde girl with heterochromia said as she dodged the ursa's strike.

"I'm working at it Ariadne!" Scotland, the redhead kid with the black sweatshirt and matching pants said. He was in a hover chair that looked like a series of gears forming a hollow ball around his seat. There were heavy guns on the side firing into the ursa.

Nova rolled to her feet and lunged at the beast. She sliced into its ankle causing it to stagger. The heavy gunfire ripped through its hide and killed it. A king Taijitu hissed and slithered towards them. Nova stood at the ready with swords in hand.

Just as she was ready to use her aura to block the bite, Johnny jumped in front of her and fired his flashlight. The same white light from before pulsated through the street. The Taijitu hissed and reeled back.

"Now." Johnny said. Nova acted fast and slashed the snake's throat. She then stabbed the bottom of its jaw. The white head of the beast bent around to snatch her. Canon fire pelted its head. Ariadne played her flute and the sound waves smashed into the snake head. Nova took advantage of the scenario and cut into the white head. She used her fission semblance and threw herself into the air. She had the kill secured. Then Johnny blasted it with his flashlight and the Grimm disappeared.

"Kuso, you stole my kill." Nova said.

"We worked as a team." Johnny said. "I simply had a more efficient way to end the battle."

"You…teme…" Nova cursed under her breath.

"Hey." Ariadne said.

"Looks like we were in the same area." Scotland said.

"We were heading towards the police station." Johnny said.

"Don't bother." Scotland said. He pulled out a white pyramid. "We already looked all around there." Nova cursed a bit more loudly.

"Hmm…" Johnny contemplated.

"If you two need one…I happen to know where the next closest one is." Ariadne said.

"How do you know?" Nova asked.

"My semblance allows me to communicate with animals." Ariadne said.

"That's an amazing ability." Johnny said.

"Thanks." She blushed. "My names Ariadne Glasgorm. This is Scotland Yard. We're both from Lighthouse."

"Johnny Clay, from Torch." Johnny said.

"Nova." Nova replied. "From Vacuo."

"Oh, you're the girl with the tail." Ariadne said.

"Yeah." Nova didn't like people only knowing her by her tail.

"I think it's cute." Ariadne perked up.

"Thanks." Nova said.

"So, we're is the closest relic?" Johnny asked.

"It's over there." Ariadne pointed to the edge of town. "The old Merlot Industries building."

"Well then, we're off." Nova said.

"Actually, if you don't mind… could you come with us."

"Sure." Scotland said. "It's not a race or competition. And part of it is cooperation so sure."

"I'm in too." Ariadne said.

 **AN: And so, they're off. The initiation will wrap up next chapter. It will be from Citrine's perspective and it will be really long. It'll show her pair, the other pair, a battle at Merlot against the Grimm and the final two relics being found. If you liked this, please follow, favorite and review.**


	9. Assemble

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: So, I just pulled an all nightery for no reason. I'll probably take a long nap later today. It's not a true all nightery because it hasn't been 24 hours since I woke up. In fact, it's been about 15. Anyway, here's the last part of the initiation. No chapter tomorrow. I'll be working on Guardians of Terra and my review for the newest episode.**

Chapter 9: Assemble

Citrine had hit the ground running. Well, she hit the rooftop running. Her semblance gave her decent control over momentum so she was able to skate along the rooftop. She took a quick glance around. She didn't care who all ended up on her team but she knew her first pick for a partner.

She spotted Eiess using glyphs to slow her descent and glide to the ground. Citrine jumped down and used the gun of her shield to slow her fall. Eiess turned and saw her. Citrine gave a friendly smile at Eiess' elation.

"Found you." Citrine said.

"Yes." Eiess sighed in relief.

"Come one." Citrine grabbed her hand and dragged her down the street.

"Wait where are we going?" Eiess asked.

"The teachers would have had to hide the relics somewhere in the city. So, if you were an old man who can turn into a bird, where would you hide a relic?"

"I don't know." Eiess said.

"That's why I'm taking the lead." Citrine said enthusiastically. "We'll check the park sense it's close. Then we'll head over to that tower." She pointed to the old Merlot Industries building.

"How close is the park?" Eiess asked.

"Walking, it'll take us about ten minutes. Plus, we should account for Grimm. But, they probably put the relics in areas where Grimm density was low. Then again, this is Uncle Qrow we're talking about. Plus, Grimm tend to move around a lot."

"So, we should be cautious." Eiess said.

"Yeah, that's a word." Citrine grinned.

Citrine skipped down the street with Eiess walked dutifully behind her. A few small nevermores flew at their face but Eiess was quick on the draw to dispatch them. Citrine tried keeping everything in good spirits by humming a song. Eiess giggled at her antics and started singing along.

They made it to the park. There was a few beowolves running around. In the center of the park was a trio of relics. There was a silver sphere, a silver cube and a silver cylinder. Citrine wound her body like a spring. With a blast of her semblance she slammed into a beast. She then smacked it on its head. She spun around and threw her shield into another beast's head. Eiess darted behind her and cleaved a beowolf through the chest. With a flick of her wrist, Monfriedan zapped lightning into a monster's maw.

"That looks like all of them." Eiess said.

"What works? Team works." Citrine lifted her hand for Eiess to lightly high-five. Citrine grabbed the sphere. "We only need one. Now, should I leave these for other to find or should I take them and try finding some other groups.

"It might be counterproductive to take them." Eiess said. "We don't know who else is heading this way on a hunch. And we don't know where anyone else is."

"Dang, if only we had a way to communicate with everyone out here."

"Are you being facetious?" Eiess asked.

"No, I'm sure there's a way for a tech genius to do it but I wouldn't even know where to begin." She gave Eiess a wondering look.

"Me neither." Eiess admitted.

"We could just grab them and take them to the hospital." Citrine suggested.

"But most people probably aren't going to go there until they find one." Eiess said.

"True…hey, maybe you could cast a glyph. You know, like a signal flare. Let people know that there are relics here."

"I'll try." Eiess waved her hand and created a glyph. A bolt rose in the air and dispersed like a firework. "That should do it."

"Alright then, let's head to the hospital." Citrine started leading the way.

Then there was an explosion behind them. Citrine looked back. There was smoke coming from the Merlot Industries building. Citrine's heart started racing as she saw the smoke rise to the sky. A massive Grimm arthropod twirled around the building. It looked like a giant centipede with wings.

"Citrine, we should…hey wait." Citrine was already racing towards the danger. The Grimm, on top of its thousand tiny legs had four massive claws. Citrine boosted towards it with her semblance. She looked back and saw Eiess struggling to keep up. Citrine grit her teeth and held back.

As they reached the plaza, a beam of light struck the Grimm. Scotland was in his gear chair, firing up at it. Topaz used her semblance to create a water projectile that hit the monster. Nephrite had her katars out and firing at the beast.

"Nice of you to join us." Nova said as she rolled to the ground. "That thing's armor is strong."

"We need to strike its limbs." Johnny said. He gave a smile and nod at Citrine and Eiess.

"Forget about that." Topaz said. "We have our artifacts, we should get out of here."

"But we…" Nova said.

"There's more relics at the park." Citrine said. "We should fall back there."

"Sounds good." Johnny said. "Everyone, fall back."

"But…" Nova moved to protest but Citrine grabbed her and pulled her out. "Kuso…" Just in time as the Grimm slithered to the ground and smashed the plaza. All eight of them ran from the monster. Citrine led the way with her speed. The monster slammed through a building and cut them off. Johnny twirled his flashlight around and blasted the Grimm.

"Go left." He called out. They all dove in an alley and kept running.

"What kind of Grimm is that?" Eiess said.

"I don't know." Johnny said. "But it's strong."

"Yeah." Ariadne said. They ducked in another alley. The Grimm slammed into the tight crevice. Eiess flicked her wrist and captured its head in ice.

"That should by us time." Eiess said. They kept running but Citrine looked back.

"Come on Citrine." Nephrite said. Citrine unfurled her weapon into scythe mode.

"What are you doing?" Ariadne said.

"We have a chance to end this thing." Citrine answered. "We can't just lure this to the hospital and let the teachers deal with it."

"That's why we have an evac zone." Topaz said.

"Johnny, take some of them and go to the park." Citrine said. "We'll meet you at the hospital."

"But Citrine!" Eiess protested. "If this Grimm was too big for us than someone would have stepped in." Citrine wound her body.

"Alright…third vertebrate down." Johnny said. "Looks like a weak spot." Johnny, Nova, Ariadne and Scotland pressed forward much to Nova's hesitation.

The Grimm broke free and Topaz smacked its head with her sword. She changed it to a spear as she bounced off the armor and kept stabbing on it. Nephrite was launched in the air by Eiess and kicked the Grimm in the head. She slid down its back, firing her guns as she did. Eiess hit Citrine with a time dilation. Time slowed to a crawl. The beast was distracted by the other two so Citrine found her mark and slammed the scythe beneath the third vertebrate.

Clockwork Rose went deep into the Grimm's hide. It tried slamming its body into the ground to get rid of her. Citrine rolled off it before it squashed her. Eiess hit the frantic beast with an explosion. Topaz slammed it back down. The tight alleyway forced the monster to lose all mobility. Nephrite slashed at its tail, which was ready to stab at Citrine. The beast began panicking as it was forced to look at Citrine. Citrine hit the recall feature on her wrist. The scythe pulsated as it was attracted to her magnet. Eiess cast a gravity glyph to boost the pull. The scythe ripped through the hide and returned to Citrine's hand. The head on the bug was dangling from the rest of the body as it disappeared.

"That was awesome!" Topaz said. She hugged Nephrite and Citrine in one swoop. Citrine smiled radiantly. It felt so good, so satisfying to kill that monster. And now, they could just head to the hospital.

"Now, let's head back." Nephrite said.

They made it to the hospital where their fellow classmates were gathered. It was a long journey back to Beacon. Everyone hit the showers and got changed into the school uniforms that were waiting for them. They gathered around in the auditorium for the team naming ceremony.

"Johnny Clay, Nova Wukong, Ariadne Glasgorm and Scotland Yard…" Qrow said. "For your gifts of foresight and perception, from this day forward you will be known as team JANS (Janus) led by Johnny Clay." Johnny looked stoic and Nova looked unpleased.

"Good job!" Citrine waved.

"Topaz Azul, Nephrite Ren, Citrine Rose and Eisenhertz Schnee…" Qrow continued. "For your valor in combat, from this day forward you will be known as team CTEN (Citrine), led by Citrine Rose."

"Led by…?" Citrine said. Topaz swatted her on the back. Like mother like daughter.

"The Grimm you defeated was an arthropathicus." Qrow said. "A high-level Grimm for students to deal with. But you saw a scenario to better the situation for everyone and you took it." He gave her a smile. "Your parents are proud of you."

 **AN: The journey begins and the teams are set. Next chapter will be fun school time shenanigans. But, like I said, I'm taking a day away from this story to do another chapter of Guardians of Terra. So, until then, please review, follow and favorite.**


	10. This is What Everyone's on About

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: Welcome back to RWBYond Generations. It felt weird taking a day off. Mostly because I hit some serious writer's block and didn't know how to go from scene to scene in Guardians. So, I'm still working on the chapter I intended to come out yesterday. But that doesn't matter you're here for RWBYond not Guardians of Terra.**

Chapter 10: This is What Everyone's on About

Nephrite walked into her room with a suitcase full of clothes. This was the room she was given along with the rest of Team CTEN. Topaz and Citrine walked with her with their stuff. The room was spacious with four beds, four dressers and four desks.

"Well, we should get set up." Citrine said. Eiess and a few servants came in with a bunch of suitcases.

"Sorry I have so much." Eiess said. "My mom did all the packing for me." Citrine giggled a little bit.

The rest of the day was spent getting the room situated. They folded their clothes and put them in the dresser. Citrine hung up a poster for the rock band, The Keksters, on the wall. Topaz put a ship-in-a-bottle on her desk. Eiess crowded the lone bookshelf with all sorts of texts. Citrine added some fairy tale books to the shelf. Nephrite set up her cooking supplies.

After setting up that room, Nephrite and Citrine organized the bathroom, connected to the room. It had a single toilet, sink and a shower. Nephrite opened the medicine cabinet above the sink and started stuffing it with medical supplies. She then opened a cleaning bag and stuffed the cabinet below the sink with supplies.

"I'm glad you came prepared." Citrine said. "I didn't think about this being like an apartment."

"It's a dorm, not a hotel." Nephrite said as she set her shampoo in the shower. "Hey, so, my hair gets split ends really badly so…please don't use my shampoo without asking."

"No problem." Citrine said. Eiess came in with a bunch of toiletries. She stacked several bars of soap neatly in the cabinet. She hung four different colored scrunchies on the shower head. She also put several bottles of shampoo and conditioner in the shower and in the cabinet.

"That should last us the semester." Eiess said. She added a bottle of cold medicine to the medicine cabinet. "And of course, if there's anything we missed I could always get from the store."

"Alright…the bathroom is set, the beds are made, the poster is on the wall, the drawers are filled, all our combat supplies are in our lockers." Citrine started naming off. "Oh, schedules." Citrine pulled out her scroll and walked in the main room where Topaz had already laid claim to the second bed to the right.

"Thought our sleeping arrangements could go by the team order." Topaz said.

"That seems reasonable." Citrine sat on the far bed next to Topaz. Eiess took a seat next to her and Nephrite plopped down next to Topaz on her bed. "Alright…as team leader I have access to all your schedules. The only rules I'll lay down are to not fight in here, be quiet when people are trying to sleep, and clean up after yourselves."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Nephrite said.

"I can be a bit of a slob." Topaz raised her hand. "But I do clean up well when I need to."

"Good." Citrine said. "Carrying on…we all have Grimm Studies with Nephrite's mom in the morning. Then we have History with Dr. Oobleck. From there we start going our different ways. We all have Combat Training with Nephrite's dad right before lunch. Hmm…Topaz and I have the most classes together."

"So, we all have our schedules." Eiess said.

"And we know the basis of where everything is." Topaz said.

"I kind of worry about Nova." Citrine said. "She never got a proper tour of where everything is."

"She's got her own team." Topaz said. "I'm sure Johnny or Scot will help her find her way."

"Anyway…" Nephrite stretched out. "I'm going to jump in the shower and go to bed."

"Good idea." Citrine said. "We have a long day tomorrow."

Nephrite took her time in the shower before changing into her pajamas. After a great night of sleep, she woke up early and made some breakfast. Eiess had the foresight to get a minifridge and a microwave. Even though, there was a community kitchen down the hall, both Citrine and Eiess had the idea to keep snacks in the room.

Topaz was the next to wake up and join her in the kitchen. Citrine, funny enough, was the last to wake up. Eiess made them coffee but Nephrite preferred tea. Team JANS also joined them after smelling the cooking.

"So, Nephrite…what's your mom like anyway?" Nova asked.

"She's…energetic." That's a good word for it. "Other than that, I don't know what she's like as a teacher."

"You've never sat in on her classes?" Eiess asked.

"When I sit in on class, I sit with my dad. It's a lot more fun."

"Sounds about right." Nova said. "My mom said the Grimm Studies was the worst class."

Within the next half hour, they were in the classroom. Nora was standing at her desk giving everyone a beaming smile. As Nephrite walked in she waved. Nephrite took a front row seat along with the rest of her team. Nova was irritated with her uniform, apparently, she had never worn a skirt before.

"Good morning maggots!" Nora beamed. "Welcome to Grimm studies. I am your teacher, you may call me Prof Nora.

"Or just mom." Topaz whispered to Nephrite.

"In this course, you will be learning about the creatures of darkness that we train to fight. Monsters, demons, the creatures of Grimm, they are mankind's greatest foe. They think they're the top of the food chain but they're wrong!" She jumped onto a kid's desk. "It's polite to listen to the teacher when she's talking."

"Yes ma'am." The kid squeaked. Nora leaped off the desk.

"This is all important though, I have a tendency to babble. If I go off on a story feel free to tune it out. But when it's something important, and I'll let you know when it is, you better listen." Nora's eyes darkened. "It could mean the difference of life and death."

"I think that kid about wet himself." Topaz snickered.

"So, this is the tone she goes for." Nephrite said shockingly.

"Now, I know you're all thinking…why am I here?" Nora continued. "On top of being one of life's great mysteries, it's also important to shatter any egos you may have." She looked right at Citrine.

"Huh?" Citrine said.

"You've done well before, but the Grimm you'll encounter outside the walls make the one's you've faced look like little worms."

She then started blabbing on about a story of how a dragon once wrecked Beacon and how her and a bunch of other people fought to take it down. Nephrite had heard a…less embellished version of the story from her father as well as Ruby. It was when the huntsmen took back the academy during the Grimm War.

At the end of the class, the teams went onto their next destination. Nephrite was a little perplexed. No one said anything to her but she could tell. Her mother had struck fear in many of them with her antics. Nephrite had thought she had become numb to her attitude but even she hadn't considered just how crazy her mom could be.

 **AN: A bit of a filler chapter. Just more to show the relation of Team CTEN and how they're daily life is going to be. Next chapter is going to be a little more exciting. It'll also hint at what the main plot is going to focus on.**


	11. Stars in His Eyes

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: It's been a long day for me. The kind of day when my family is just so insufferable that it just makes me tired. Maybe I can channel a little bit of that into this chapter. Also, if you didn't know, I do have a YouTube channel where I talk about RWBY on a regular basis.**

Chapter 11: Stars in His Eyes

Nova sat in the stands of Beacon's Pit. The arena was the location of Beacon's combat class. It was simple. People would split into groups or solo against training dummies for the first half. Then there would be a few spars. Because of how short the class was, there would only be two or three fights per day.

This was the first fight of the day. Nephrite was fighting team CHRD's Chernobog Night. He was one of only three Faunas in the class. It made sense, Faunas had it really rough during the Grimm War. Now over eighty percent of living Faunas lived in Vacuo or Mistral. And the ones that lived in Vale, usually lived the life of merchants or other humble working folk.

Nephrite was having trouble landing a hit on the antelope-Faunas. His dust spear and armor provided great defense against Nephrite's wind bullets. She spun to kick his head and he ducked under it. She pivoted around and hit him with her other foot. She spun in the air, firing her guns and landing several hits. He rushed her as she landed and landed a blow of his own. Nephrite tripped him up and landed a massive palm strike to his chest.

"That's enough." Professor Ren said as the lights went up. Nova's gaze went to the aura meters. Chernobog's was in the red. Nephrite's was right there. "Chernobog's aura has gone into the red. In a tournament style duel, that would mean he's eliminated."

"Dang." Chernobog said as Nephrite helped him up. Nephrite then lost her balance but was caught by her father.

"Can either of you tell me where you went wrong?" Ren asked. Nephrite flinched with anticipation. She was edging to go next. All she needed to do was wait for the so-called lesson to end.

"I had her on the ropes." Chernobog said. "I lost my balance."

"Why did you lose your balance?" Ren asked. Chernobog thought for a second. Nephrite seemed a little perplexed at the question as well.

"I know the answer." Johnny raised his hand.

"Damn know-it-all." Nova cursed. She was so sick and tired on Johnny's whole perfect student shtick.

"Well then Johnny…what's your hypothesis?" Ren asked.

"Chernobog had her on the ropes. He sacrificed his footing for a critical strike but it wasn't enough."

"You're in the right direction." Ren said.

"I was doing better when I was fighting defensively." Chernobog said. "Nephrite has always been a cautious fighter, evading damage and waiting for critical strikes. Which she couldn't land because of my defense. I thought I could end the fight by taking advantage of her stamina."

"You underestimated your opponent." Ren said. "If this were a Grimm, you'd be dead." He turned to address the whole class. "Indeed, we are the ones who hunt monsters. But it doesn't matter how tough you are. If you sacrifice your position for a killing strike without thinking, you open yourself up to being swallowed. And no amount of aura will save you from that. Now, who's next?"

Nova's hand shot up. The rules of challenge were simple. The challenger could introduce whatever handicaps they wanted. Nephrite had demonstrated this on day one by challenging Nova to hand to hand, no weapons. Nova had won that bout but it was more of a demonstration than a declaration. Nephrite had held back to let everyone in the class know how that handicap worked.

There were also team fights. Citrine had once challenged Topaz and Nephrite, and brought Eiess in as her partner. It was also rare, however unlikely, for stacked odds. Nova was above such petty displays but she had heard of entire teams challenging a single person. But that's not what Nova wanted.

"I challenge Johnny Clay." Nova said. A bold move. He was the top ranked student in the school. Strait As, team leader, zero losses in the Pit, all of that had given him a big reputation. But he was Nova's partner. If anyone could figure out how he's so good, she could.

"Interesting…most students don't challenge their partners." Ren took his scroll out and loaded up their data to the screen. "Any handicaps you wish to administer?"

"No."

"Do you accept the challenge Mr. Clay."

"I'd be happy to oblige." Johnny said.

Nova jumped down to the arena. The lights dimmed around the crowd and lit up the bottom of the Pit. Nova brandished Jumelle Buteur, ready for combat. Johnny looked relaxed on the other side of the ring. He twirled his flashlight in his hand. The thin silver tube packed a punch from what Nova could see.

The battle began and Nova was the first to attack. She dashed back and forth toward Johnny, trying hard to keep her movements unpredictable. She rolled and used her semblance. Her real body attacked his legs and her clone spun to kick his head. He dodged both strikes and evaded her follow up, an ascending strike. He pivoted on his foot and delivered a strong kick to her back.

She tossed around on the ground and fired her grappling hook. He dodged it and it hooked to the wall. The zipped towards him, firing her gun as she did. He dodged the bullets so Nova changed tactics. She fired to her side to change her trajectory. She freed the hook from the wall and linked the swords together. She did a side flip and swung at his side. He deflected the blow with his flashlight and aimed it at her.

The white light shot at her. Just in time, she used a clone to throw herself into the air. She used her grappling hook to swing from the ceiling. As she freed the hook and tossed in the air, she fired blindly down at him. He sidestepped and stood where no bullets landed.

With a snarl of frustration, she tossed a smoke grenade at his feet. She landed in the cloud but missed her swings. She fired a charged thunder-shot into the air. The lights dimmed further, clouding the vision of everyone except the Faunas in the room. Faunas like her.

She attacked him with his clone first. He managed to block the strikes. Good, maybe his vision was clouded enough to not see the attack in time to dodge. Nova flanked his left and swung at him. The grinding of her swords against his light created glimpses of light that reflected off his starry blue eyes.

He caught her wrist as she swung for his neck. She felt the flashlight on her stomach as he fired. She was smashed against the wall. The next instant the clouds were dispersed by his weapon, as was the smoke. She cursed out loud as she rushed him again. This time he hit her with a swift jab to the face, a slap on the wrist, and a kick to the chin.

The buzzer rang and the lights came up. She pounded the ground in anger. His aura was still in the green. Hers was in the red. Johnny stood over her with his hand out. She swatted it away and picked herself up.

"Do you…" Ren started.

"No, I don't!" She yelled. "I don't know what I did wrong." Ren sighed.

"You got angry. You tried using your head and you fought well." Ren said. "But the transitions were not smooth and you telegraphed many of your moves. Against any normal opponent, it would be good enough. Against the Grimm it would be inconsequential."

"Then why did I lose so badly?!" Nova said pointing to Johnny but looking at Ren.

"Not every loss is a learning experience…at least not in the same way. You used your knowledge of Johnny to your advantage. Johnny used your knowledge of you to his. You didn't realize it the way he had."

"I know how you work." Johnny said. "Unpredictability is its own predictability." Nova clenched her fists tighter. "It's just one of those things you can't avoid."

'You fought a superior opponent and lost.' Her mother's voice scowled in her head. Nova grit her teeth at her failure. He was still in the green. She didn't even stand a chance.

"That's all we have time for today." Ren said.

Nova took her cue and stormed off. All her friends went to lunch. She went to her room. She took a serving of sushi out of the room's minifridge and began to eat it. Ariadne walked in with her flute and began playing.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Nova asked.

"I'm on a diet." Ariadne said. "Trying to cut meat and sugar out of my diet." She said. "Plus, this is the only time I have to actually practice the flute." She kept playing. The music soothed Nova's mind. But it offered no catharsis. After her classes, Nova would probably go into town with her headphones and take an enthusiastic walk.

"It's so frustrating." Nova said.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Well, you fought well." Ariadne said. "I think you're in the top five in our class. You're way better than me, or anyone else from Lighthouse. You're even better than Nephrite and her dad's the instructor."

"None of that matters if I can't hold a candle to Johnny." Nova scowled.

"Not everyone can be the best." Ariadne said.

"Well, I want to be." Nova held her hand up to the celling as she laid down. "Team RWBY is heralded as the greatest team to ever come from Beacon."

"That was your mom's team, right? The same one Citrine and Eiess' mothers were in."

"Yep." Nova said flatly.

"Well then take their advice. It's no use living in your mother's shadow."

"I don't want to live in my mother's shadow. Far as I'm concerned that shadow is a curse. At least Citrine and Eiess can look at their moms as positive role models. That's who I want to be like. My mom is a coward. The only reason she's considered a hero is because of the people around her. I'm not like her. I don't care about her. I want to be the best because if she could be considered one of the best, then just imagine what I can do."

"You're not making any sense."

"Do you know the last person to be accepted into Beacon early?"

"I don't recall."

"She's considered a once in a generation hero. That's what I strive to be. Everyone keeps saying to keep moving forward. It's the golden rule of Remnant. Well, only way to know how I'm progressing is to mark myself against the best. That's what I want to be."

"Well, I'm not one for fighting." Ariadne admitted. "I learned to fight just so that I…well, I don't like to talk about it. But suffice to say that the huntsmen can't be everywhere at once. But if I can keep a town safe, that's one less place to worry about."

"That's noble thinking." Nova said.

"Anyway, take care." Ariadne stood up. "I'm going to get ready for Herbology."

"Kuso, I have math next."

"Well good luck." Ariadne said. She stopped when she got to the door. "You're strong. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

 **AN: Well, that's it for that chapter. I'm keeping some character stuff close to my chest for later arcs, reveals and likewise. But we got a big look at Nova's outlook. That'll be coming into play. If you couldn't tell by the name of this arc and Nova's intro chapter, she's going to be a driving force in the coming chapters. Please review, follow and favorite and support my youtube channel, same name as on here.**


	12. Stratagem

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: This is pretty much the last of the character defining chapters. There's going to be a lot more action after this chapter. You'll finally be reintroduced to some key villains after this chapter. But this chapter is just another school-set vignette.**

Chapter 12: Stratagem

Strategy and Tactics wasn't a difficult class. Most of it was just laid back, and theorizing how certain equipment can complement each other. It also discussed team building exercises, training regiments, and combination attacks. It was also a leader only course, and only three people in it. So, the class was held in the headmaster's office for the discussion portion. Anything more hands-on was up to the teams to implement and demonstrate in their practices and combat classes.

Citrine was really good at this stuff. It helped that both of her parents led teams back in the day. She had a knack for taking two things and figuring out how they could work together. Her weapon was ample enough evidence of that. What she wasn't good at, were basic strategies and foresight.

"Checkmate…again." Qrow said. Citrine scowled at the chess board. Today they were playing chess. Johnny was mopping the floor with Chernobog leaving Citrine to face the esteemed headmaster.

"No fair." Citrine said.

"Hey, I'm not exactly the best at it either." Qrow said as he took a drink from his coffee mug.

"Well mom never beat you."

"No, and I never beat your dad. By that logic, you should be winning half the time."

"I don't get it. I'm really good at Remnant Wars and all your other exercises. So, why do I suck so much at chess?"

"In a word, you're impulsive. Chess isn't about managing resources, using an environment, or any of that other complex thinking stuff you're so good at. It's about predicting your opponent's moves. It's about coordinating your pieces against theirs. Chess is the simplest strategy game to learn but the hardest to master. Both sides are completely even, and take turns. Your strength as a leader is overcoming odds with tenacity and quick thinking."

"Like when you put me in check and two moves later I managed to take your queen?"

"Precisely…though that opened you up for my rook and my knight to move into place to end the game." Qrow chuckled a bit. "For a huntsman, that kind of thinking is better. Take Johnny for instance. His strength is predicting opponents. Because of that, he'd probably beat me. But the world isn't fair." He set up the chess board in a way that looked like the game had been going for a while. "Sometimes you get bad luck." He added in two black rooks, a black knight and a black bishop. "If he were playing what he thought was a fair match then this happened, he'd be powerless."

"I see." Citrine moved the white knight to take out the extra black knight. She then quickly moved a bishop to take out one of the extra rooks. "If I had a plan to take out a horde of Grimm, then on the edge of victory, more showed up, I would have to reevaluate my situation accordingly."

"You're getting it. Though, that's not how chess works. If you want a game like that, play Remnant Wars."

"My dad taught me how to play." Citrine said. "He's really good at it."

"When he was your age that's all he had going for him." Qrow said.

"Yeah, they've told me all about how useless he was." Citrine smiled. She then sighed at the thought of her next question. "What was…" She was cut off by the alarm. Class was over and she needed to get to her next class. "I'll talk to you later Qrow."

"Anytime, my office is always open." Qrow said as he rubbed her hair.

She stood up and took off alongside Johnny. They had their next class together as well. As they rode the elevator down and took a walk to their next class, Citrine started up a conversation with the elusive Team JANS leader.

"So, I saw you were doing well in chess."

"Yeah, you didn't seem to be having the same luck." He said.

"No, I've never been that good at chess. I was always more of a checkers gal." She laughed at herself. "My mom and dad taught me but there's only so much you could be taught."

"My dad taught me how to play." Johnny said. "He just taught me how each piece moves and how to read people."

"Qrow was saying you were good at that."

"He was." Johnny said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah…" Citrine smiled as they walked in silence a bit longer. "You're amazing." She broke the silence.

"How so?"

"You're strong and brave and incredibly smart." They reached the classroom just in time for class. "There is a point to this, but we'll carry on after class."

"Sure thing." Johnny stated as he went to his seat.

The class went by rather quick. Citrine loved books and this class was all about taking those stories and analyzing them. It was the one class she had with Johnny where she could say she was better than him. Topaz and Ariadne were already in there, and watched their respective leaders as they arrived.

After class Citrine got her stuff together and followed Johnny out of the hall. There was just one more thing she needed to tell him. Especially after the most recent combat class. In fairness she probably should have told him back on day one.

"Johnny…"

"Yes?"

"The thing I wanted to tell you…is that…you should try talking to Nova more."

"Huh?"

"I know she can be difficult. I know she has anger issues. She has a lot of resentment for a lot of people. But please, you've got to be patient with her. I know you are but she's going to be coming after you more and more. You should be honored…not everyone has earned her effort like that. She's from Vacuo and has that typical Vacuo mindset. If you can't fight you're not worth her time. So, just don't let her get under your skin…even if she does act childish."

"I'll keep that in mind." Johnny gave her a warm smile. "She's lucky to have friends like you looking out for her."

"We're the daughters of heroes…we have to stick together." Citrine threw up a peace sign. Johnny gave her a thumb's up. As they parted ways, Citrine slumped against a wall with a sigh of content.

"What was that about?" Topaz asked as she walked up.

"Nothing…just telling Johnny about Nova."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah why?" Citrine said.

"Oh, no reason." She giggled a little bit. "Let's go."

 **AN: Okay, enough school time shenanigans. I really like the dynamic Johnny has with everyone. I don't know exactly what I'm doing with that quite yet. I have time, it'll be a while before these dynamics start paying off into full-fledged character arcs. Be sure to review, follow and favorite and stay classy.**


	13. Forever Fall For It

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: This is the first chapter since the first that I've been legitimately excited to write. If you're on the RWBY OC page, you've probably seen my favorite RWBYond OC list and of course this guy was in the top ten.**

Chapter 13: Forever Fall for It

Levi stood against the tree of Forever Fall. The forest had more than recovered from the terrors of the Grimm War. Cinder Fall had decimated the forest during the Vale campaign. Now, there was no evidence of that carnage. The world had recovered. Cipher had lost its greatest chance.

Levi had been on the run for seventeen years. He had stayed under the radar, only popping up when Cloak needed his skills to acquire something. He had begun to get impatient with the little imp. He knew it would take a while for her to be ready. She had given a pretty accurate time frame for her plans. Now, the hour was drawing close. And Levi was itching with the anticipation of answers. He was more than ready to exact his revenge.

Ruby Rose was a tough nut to crack. The absolute best time to have handled her was when so many of her friends were unavailable due to pregnancies. Now, they were on guard. They were ready for him to raise his head and set his silver gaze on Vale once more. In short, he had failed.

Now he stood in Forever Fall, contemplating how he could end the huntress once and for all. Cloak and Dagger's elusive master would grant him the opportunity. But it was up to him to take the next step. As he looked at his armored hand, Cloak appeared from her warp thread and sat at his feet.

"Good morning Levi." Cloak said. She set her brown cape around her body.

"Are you ready for the mission?"

"Of course, I am." She materialized an apple and took a bite. "It is my plan after all."

"Rumor has it a new Argentware has joined Beacon."

"We must be swift. So many of your people have sprung up in recent years. Should they prepare, they'll be a thorn in our side." Cloak took another bite. "But have patience. Young Citrine Rose may very well secure my master's ambition. That's why you took her, is it not?"

"I merely remembered what it was like as a child with such a gift." Levi said. "I took pity on the infant."

"She's no infant now." Cloak said. "She is a full adult, training under Qrow Branwen like her mother before her." Levi clenched his fist and narrowed his gaze.

"How close are we?"

"Within a year, we'll be ready. Within a few weeks, I'll be ready to test everything out."

"And this thing I'm taking, will help in that?"

"It'll help, but it's not entirely necessary. All it'll do is take some of the burden off Isabelle."

"That's good."

"Keep your eyes on the prize Levi. If you go off the path and encounter Ruby Rose, prematurely, there's no telling what will happen."

"Stop lecturing me." Levi scowled.

"Not until you stop acting like a petulant child." Big talk coming from her. She's the one who could pass for a teenager. "It's coming."

"Good." Levi's mask and helmet folded down. Vile was on a mission. A rare dust crystal was being transported to Vale. Levi was going to make sure it never arrived.

He started running towards the tracks. He felt Cloak warp him and he landed on a steep hill. He kicked off the hill and landed on target. The third car held the crystal, as well as other dust supplies from Vacuo. All of it worth a good price. He would take the cargo and throw it off as the train crossed the river.

He landed on the car with a roll. He spun on the ground and kicked the padlock on the service hatch. He slid right in and turned night vision on. Two drones with infrared scanners guarded the package. With a flick of his wrist, he used Brigg's pen to shut them down without causing a ruckus. He took a crowbar and pried the crate open to look at his prize.

As he looked in it, he punched one of the drones in anger. It was empty. Nothing but a crude drawing of three familiar faces sticking their tongues out. He popped open some of the other crates. It was all gone. Nothing was left but scraps.

"Empty." He growled. He turned his communicator on. "We have a problem. The Blacks beat us to the punch."

"You're kidding me." Cloak said.

"What's going on in there?" Someone knocked.

"I wish I was. I'm going to have company."

"Well, we both know how much you like to let off steam."

"That I do." As people opened the doors and filed in, Levi used his semblance to create holograms. He slid along the top of the car and behind a group of guards.

"Freeze!" A guard said.

"Holy crap is that Vile?" Another said.

Levi answered with a double shotgun kick to a pair of guards' backs sending them into another group. He moved through them like water. The decoy landed a couple hits before breaking under gun fire. Levi roundhouse kicked a guard in the face. Another landed a shot to his chest. He took that guard, bent him around, snapped his arm, took his gun and shot him.

He kicked a guard's knee and broke the rifle over his head. He flipped over another one and snapped his neck. The dazed guard with the broken knee tried swinging a baton. Levi parried it and shot the man repeatedly in the chest.

He kicked a guard into another. As they stumbled, he did a front flip into one of their heads. He battered the other one and wrapped an arm around his neck, snapping it. All of this lasted about thirty seconds.

He jumped up to the top and ran along the train. More guards moved to intercept them. He used his semblance to hit three of them with a canon. He spun with a dark-blue sword construct, knocking them off the train. He stabbed one with a spear construct then bashed him with a shield construct. The guard remained on his feet until Levi batted him with a pistol.

Levi spun to his knees and took out a heavily armored man and what appeared to be a huntsman. The skull-rounds ripped through them, killing them instantly. He saw the bridge coming up. This was where he was supposed to get off.

"Cloak, I have an idea." He took some dust clips from the slain guards. He mashed the bits of dust into a crude crystal and threw it onto the bridge. He then shot it and part of the bridge was destroyed.

"So much for stealth." Cloak said.

"We're well beyond that." Levi said. "There's no way the Blacks got everything. Might as well make this a bit more productive."

"Understood." Cloak laughed.

Levi jumped off the train and into the water. The train didn't have time to stop and derailed. Levi dove into the water and boosted out of the way of the falling debris. He arrived onshore to admire his handy work. But it seemed he wasn't the only survivor.

"Please, help me." The old man said. He looked to be the conductor.

"No witnesses." Levi said. It was still important to keep a low profile. He kicked the conductor in the face, killing him.

"Well this is a mess." Cloak said.

"Did you find anything useful?" Levi asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did. Dust is always useful."

"No witnesses." Levi looked at the carts strewn about the river edge. "It'll take weeks to salvage this stuff. And when they do, they'll see the Blacks' trademark picture."

"You're framing them?"

"They're already wanted men. And it's important to take out our competition. Isn't that right, Cloak?"

"You're the leader of Cipher, a silver knight for the cause. I'm merely a rook."

"Better than a pawn." Levi said, looking again at the bodies.

 **AN: Vile is back and he is just as much of an ass hole as he was in RWBYond War. And he's just as dangerous. It's going to be a long, long time before anyone in this young cast will be ready to last more than a second against him.**


	14. The Most Wanted

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: Onward to the plot of this arc. This is the beginning of a string of events that mostly serve to give this generation something to do while the big stuff happens in the background.**

Chapter 14: The Most Wanted

Eiess stood in the Buford Hall lounge watching the news in utter shock. Citrine and Nova sat beside her with varying degrees of shock and horror. A train had been attacked. No survivors to verify the attacker's identity. The only evidence was an out of place piece of paper with the calling card of the Chaos Syndicate.

"I thought they were disbanded after the war." Eiess said.

"Their leader is currently locked up in Dragna." Nephrite said. "But a lot of them are still out there…Even so, they've never hit anything this big."

"What on earth would possess anyone to wipe out an entire train like that?" Citrine said.

"The criminally insane." Eiess said. "These are the same people responsible for kick starting the Grimm War."

"That was decades ago." Nephrite countered.

"Nephrite's right." Nova said from the table. She was playing cards with her team and doing a good job at it. "Since then, they've just lived on the run. Usually just stealing what they need. My parents have tried catching them plenty of times but they're always one step ahead."

"And now they're in Vale." Eiess said. "All that dust, all those lives, gone."

"I'm sure your mother is handling the situation." Nephrite said.

"She only hired a pair of fresh huntsmen as security." Eiess said. "Vale was supposed to be a safe place. Now look at it."

"They were weak." Nova said.

"What?" Eiess responded.

"It wasn't just two people, it was dozens of them. All of them highly trained. Two of them graduates from this very school. Obviously, they weren't up to the task. It's no wonder Headmaster Qrow is starting to get stricter with who he lets in."

"Well..." Eiess didn't feel as comfortable with talking about the dead like that.

"Someone should still do something about it." Citrine said.

"I'm sure the police and the huntsmen have already mobilized to deal with it." Nephrite said.

"Fat chance if the cops back home are any indication." Nova scowled.

"Hmm...Helios said something about chasing criminals." Citrine said. "Maybe he'd help."

"Is he even still in town?" Nephrite asked.

"I don't know why he wouldn't be." Citrine responded. "We should also get Johnny in on this."

"We don't need his help." Nova scowled.

"If I'm going to do this without getting in trouble, we need all the help we can get. Besides, we know he and Ariadne are the best at this sort of thing."

"Citrine's right." Eiess said.

"And of course Topaz will come along." Nephrite said.

"Yeah there's no way she'd miss this." Citrine said.

"That means Scot will tag along too." Nova said.

"Where would we even begin?" Eiess asked.

"You have connections." Citrine said. "Use them. Find the pattern. These guys are pro, we should play detective, not vigilante." She looked at Nova.

"Why are you looking at me?" Nova crossed her arms.

"You know exactly why." Citrine responded.

"Well, on Mistral motto, if you want to know the streets, talk to the rats." Nova said.

"You and Nephrite do that." Citrine said. "You know what to look for and she knows where to look." Nephrite smiled and nodded.

"Sounds good." Nephrite said.

"Eiess, you and Johnny play detective in the library."

"What about you?" Eiess asked.

"Ariadne and I will talk to Helios and any other patrollers along the north wall. If we're lucky, she can find a bird or something that knows where to look."

"Great idea." Nova said. Eiess nodded in agreement.

"That leaves Topaz and Scot...maybe they can talk to some police, see what they know."

"I'll get ahold of her and let her know what we're planning." Nephrite said.

"I'll talk to my team." Nova said.

"Tell them to meet us in our room tonight after dinner." Citrine said.

"That's pretty short notice." Eiess said.

"Come on Eiess, where's you're spontaneity?" Citrine nudged her arm.

"My mom did tell us to stay vigilant." Nephrite said.

"And I know for a fact none of you have anything cooler to do on a Friday night than be superheroes."

"Detectives, Citrine, you said it yourself." Eiess said.

"Of course." Citrine gave a dorky smile.

Eiess smiled basfully. She could never say no to Citrine. Her team captain was too persistent and beaming with confidence for Eiess to turn down. On her whim they were about to aid in an ongoing police investigation. On her whim they were going to try and find leads on the Chaos Syndicate. On her whim Eiess was being pulled into the crosshairs of two people her mother had warned her about.

"I think we should also get my parents involved." Nephrite said.

"No." Citrine panicked. "I mean, we're not looking for a fight. And if we tell your parents, they'll tell my parents. Then they'll want to get involved and my mom's already at home trying to relax and I don't want her to worry. And I definitely don't want my dad to shelter me and by extension you guys and..."

"I get it." Nephrite said. "We'll keep it between friends."

"If we do get in a tight spot, don't be too proud to call for backup." Eiess said as she looked at Nova.

"Why do you look at me every time you say something like that?"

"Because you're the one who picks fights with thugs for fun, then gets mad when your dad saves you."

"I don't need his help." Nova crossed her arms again. "What about you princess, you're the one who could just call your mom and she'd be here with an army."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eiess said.

"It means you have no idea what it's like out of your ivory tower. I'm surprised you even agreed to this. At least Nephrite knows the area and Citrine is just impulsive enough to not care."

"Hey, we're all here to make the world better. No one is better than anyone." Eiess argued.

"Nova just drop it." Citrine said. "None of us know what we're getting into. That's what makes this so fun!" She said.

"Whatever." Nova said. "I'm going back to my team." She left the room.

"What's her problem?" Citrine huffed.

"Citrine please..." Eiess said.

"What was she even getting at?" Citrine asked.

"I think we both know."

"So you're rich and she's not." Citrine said.

"That's not the only thing." Eiess said. "Apparently her mother has been...absent lately."

"Oh yeah..." Citrine said. "My mom said something about that. It still doesn't give her an excuse."

"No, but could you imagine your mother leaving and never coming back?"

"No, I can't." Citrine admitted after a moment.

"Think about it...my parents are the only ones that aren't active duty huntsmen. Nova sees that as weakness. But I think it just fuels her own resentment." Citrine nodded in agreement.

"I'll talk to her later. I'll also let Johnny know. Sense they're partners, he's better suited with dealing with her."

"Alright." Eiess said. "Let's get ready."

 **AN: So, our girls are on the hunt for the wrong people. Good thing though, Cipher is a way more dangerous beast than the Chaos Syndicate. Next chapter some interesting stuff is going to happen.**


	15. Undertow

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: This is where things start getting interesting. I had a hard time deciding how the next three chapters should be organized. I decided to hold off on the more exciting part until next chapter. Mostly because it'll help the pace of this story to keep building momentum for a bit.**

Chapter 15: Undertow

Topaz had agreed to Citrine's plan with ease. It was high time they did some…extracurricular activities. She had been so bogged down with school work that she felt she had no life. Now, she was in the underworld of Vale, looking for leads on the Chaos Syndicate with Scotland.

Topaz had heard about the two criminals in question. They were directly linked to the fall of Beacon, the Battle of Mistral, and all the destruction during the Vale campaign. They were the right and left hands of Cinder Fall, who was allegedly the most powerful war criminal alive and being directly kept in the deepest pit of Dragna.

Topaz decided to start with available criminal records. It wasn't difficult. Both Mercury and Emerald were from Mistral and part of Haven's database. A quick call and abuse of the passcode her grandfather gave her turned up plenty of results. But, there wasn't anything useful. Just bios and wrap sheets. Their grades at Haven were above average, which was to be expected with their leader being Salem's apprentice.

They were suspected in over a hundred accounts of theft in Mistral. Their abilities lent themselves greatly for hit and run tactics and guerilla warfare. Topaz thought that the best way to deal with them would be to draw them out into the open. And they were way too cautious for that. Topaz couldn't figure it out, but something was bothering her about this case. Why leave no survivors? Even during the war, they were no strangers to mercy.

"Johnny's calling." Scot said. Topaz looked over her shoulder to listen in but couldn't hear the other side. Citrine had paired her up with the boy since, they were just the extra help. Citrine's little plan only called for six people but everyone in both teams had tagged along.

"What did he say?" Topaz asked when he hung up.

"The Chaos Syndicate has been robbing all sorts of places in the Vale region for a while now." Scot answered. "Banks, dust shops, jewelry stores, restaurants, most of the time without the people realizing it."

"Makes sense. Emerald Sustrai's semblance is perception manipulation. She could hand someone toy money and they think it's the real thing. She could literally rob people blind."

"Mercury Black would be the muscle and the actual thief then. Emerald would have to keep her attention on the guards." Scotland thought for a moment. "Have they announced what kind of train it was?"

"Just a standard cargo train." Topaz said.

"I was just thinking, their semblances are well known. And they've been on a spree. Wouldn't the train's security account for that?"

"Sure."

"They go in not realizing they've out stayed their welcome, get busted by the cameras, stuff happens, and they force a stop."

"That could be what happened." Topaz looked back at the screen. "But they've accounted for stuff like that before."

"Dang, it's bothering Johnny and now it's bothering me. Why not just duck and run? Why blow up the track?"

"Damn, without a forensic report there's no telling what happened." Topaz bit her lip.

"What if someone else hit the train?" Scot said. "All that cargo gone, even if they had a dozen people they wouldn't be able to account for all the losses. And someone would have definitely seen them."

"Unless they're hiding…" Topaz started.

"IN Forever Fall!" They said together.

At that moment, Topaz's scroll rang. It was Citrine. Topaz answered the scroll with a hello.

"Topaz, Ariadne and I have been walking on the edge of Forever Fall." Citrine said.

"Yes." Topaz responded.

"Helios wasn't any help. The explosion that took out the track was improved and made from ammunition used by the guards. Ariadne talked to some critters. They said something about a small group of people hiding out in the forest. I tried telling the police but no one believed me."

"You're still a kid." Topaz said. "The name Rose might carry weight back on Patch but to these guys you're just the daughter of some reclusive war heroes."

"I know." Citrine said.

"I think this is as far as we can go without access to forensic files." Topaz said. "I know you don't want parents involved but…Eiess' dad is a detective, maybe she can pull some strings." Topaz suggested.

"I don't know." Citrine said. "We'll talk about it when we rendezvous at the malt shop."

"Yeah, I'm going to head there myself. Any word from Nephrite and Nova?"

"They're waiting for a club to open to ask the guy who runs it questions." Citrine answered.

"Alright, see you in a bit." Topaz said. "Why do I get the feeling we're getting in some deep water?"

"Probably because we are." Scot said.

"It's kind of exciting." Topaz said. "But the more I read up on these guys the more it scares me. I can't imagine what it would be like to not trust my eyes. Out at the sea, knowing where you're going, where you are, and where you've been, is crucial. If you can't trust your eyes, you can't trust anything."

"I feel the same way." Scot said.

"And this Mercury guy, he's got all the benchmarks of a pro assassin. He's went up against several top tier huntsmen before. I just…I don't know if I'm ready for this sort of thing."

"The goal isn't to fight them. The goal is to find them. It sounded as if Ariadne got a good lead. A little bit of scouting should do the trick."

"You're right." Topaz admitted. "It's just…all those people."

"I know…but that's why we have to do everything in our power to right the wrongs. That's why I want to be a huntsman…to make up for some stuff from the past, both mine and my family."

"I never thought about that. My parents are both huntsmen…it was just an obvious career choice. And huntsmen that can fight at sea are always in high demand. That's how my family earned their fortune during the Great War."

"Same with a lot of noble families." Scot added. "Citrine's great-great-grandfathers basically invented the term huntsman. The Schnees got rich from defending mining operations and taking them over. The list goes on."

"We Azuls have our navel capabilities." Topaz shrugged. "Anyway, let's get going."

 **AN: I've never written a straight detective story. This is still light on the mystery elements. But I want them to connect the dots in a believable way. I.E. no Arbiter interference (which I've used as a crutch in the past. Topaz is also the hardest character for me to write out of these eight. It's odd too, since she's the daughter of two OCs. If you liked this chapter, follow and favorite the story. Leave a review.**


	16. A Mysterious Hooded Figure

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: Alright, mid-point sub-climax time. This is where things really pick up for a little bit. So, unsurprisingly, I've been pretty excited for this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 16: A Mysterious Hooded Figure

Nephrite stood at the entrance to the Cub's Club. The old dance house had been a staple in Vale's underbelly for as long as there had been a city of Vale…so people say. Nephrite could hear the pulse of the beat inside the structure. A couple people in their early twenties were in the back alley, one of them was hurled over and vomiting. There was also a couple having an argument right outside the main door. A large man in a suit and red tie with matching shades stood at the door with a massive red blade.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Nephrite asked.

"Of course, I'm sure." Nova said. "My aunt Yang used to come in here all the time for information."

"Used to?"

"She still does…whenever she's out this way…I guess." Nova said. "I haven't seen her in two years though."

"Have YOU, ever been in here?"

"Um…no." Nova shrugged. "But I know it's the right spot. The uniforms on those goons never changes."

"If you say so."

"Trust me on this. You can even ask Mrs. Ruby." Nova said. Nephrite gave a nod. They walked up to the door but were stopped.

"I'm going to need to see some I.D." The guard said.

"Kuso." Nova said under her breath.

"Here you go." Nephrite handed him her I.D. She noted the sign. No one under seventeen may enter. No one under eighteen is permitted to get drinks. Those were common rules around Vale. Students should get in no problem except…

"Sorry kid, club policy." He turned Nova away.

"Get your hands off me." Nova pushed his hand off her shoulder.

"Come back next year and maybe we'll let you in."

"She's with me." Nephrite stepped in. "And we're not here to party." She spoke with a trained poise she seriously doubted anyone other than Eiess was capable of speaking. The guard seemed to understand.

"Fine, go on in. But if you cause trouble we will notify the police." The guard let them in.

Nephrite stood found a seat and ordered some tea. This was definitely not her type of place. She preferred peace and quiet, but had trained herself well to tune things out. So she let Nova take the reigns and ask some of the people, including the bartender. Nova was getting quite flustered over their lack of progress. When she returned, Nephrite knew right away it didn't go well.

"He hasn't seen them in years." Nova said. "I don't believe him, but as much as I'd like to tear this place apart…"

"You're only in Beacon on a trial basis." Nephrite said.

"Yeah...it pisses me off that I have to compose myself or risk losing this chance."

"Why do you want to be a huntress so bad?" Nephrite asked. Her voice strained against the noise. Nova motioned to leave and they did before she answered.

"Huntsmen are the greatest warriors of all time. If someone wants to truly live out their life in peace...without worrying about the little things...being a huntress is the way to go." Nova said. "But I want to be so much more than that. I want to be somebody. Here, I finally have a chance to matter."

"You matter to us...and your family."

"To my dad." Nova said. "But even he only puts up with me out of politeness."

"Don't say things like that."

"It's true. Look at Citrine's parents...look at your parents. You both have big families with parents who can't hardly spend a day, let alone months or even years separated. Mrs. Ruby is pregnant with another kid, which gives her more time and more reason to stay at home now that Citrine is out of the house. Your parents have been together since they were kids. They literally do not know how to go down separate paths. Even with that, they never let it interfere with the greater good. There's a reason why books are written about them. Why there's movies and comics about them. The adventures of Team RWBY, JNPR, RNJR, all of them are immortalized. They're heroes, the greatest in their generation. I have no right to be anything less. I want to matter, not just to people close to me. I want to matter, to truly matter, to everyone around me."

"That's ambitious." Nephrite said. "And I'm sure your parents would be proud to hear you say that."

"Parents? Plural?" A burning hatred crept onto Nova's face. "Did you know that my mom hasn't even so much as messaged me since I arrived at Beacon."

"What?" Nephrite was dumbfounded. "But the semester is almost over!"

"Yeah I know, it freaking sucks doesn't it?"

"I…" Nephrite was genuinely feeling Nova's emotion. But then she got a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Put a cap on that. We're being watched."

"What is it?": Nova asked seriously.

"It feels like…" Nephrite's powers of perception were strong. She was highly attuned with her aura, on a level most people weren't. Even her semblance, though different from her father's, reflected that. "Up there."

Nephrite pointed to the top of the clock tower. There at the top of the tower, silhouetted against the shattered moon, was a mysterious hooded figure. The figures cape bellowed in the breeze. Nephrite narrowed her gaze. Whoever this was, Nephrite had never laid eyes on her before. A tiny black hole appeared in the figure's outstretched hand. The stranger then stretched into a spiral and disappeared.

"What the hell?" Nova said. A warped noise came from behind them. The same figure now sat laxed on the edge of the small shop. Nephrite still could not make out her features, but she could tell the figure was definitely feminine.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't a few huntresses in training." The girl said in a voice of youthful curiosity.

"Who are you?" Nova shouted. "And why are you following us?"

"Not following, just observing. As for your first question it doesn't matter who I am. What matters is what I plan to do." An apple materialized in her hand and she took a bite of it. "But if you need something to call me, you can call me Cloak. I can tell your powers of perception are acute." She took another bite. "To be expected of a Faunas and the daughter of Ren."

"What do you want?" Nova asked.

"What a stupid thing to ask. I want what all people want, liberty, peace, freedom, whatever you call it. But that's not what you meant. But were you expecting me to just tell a couple of kids my master plan."

"You don't look any older than us."

"Looks can be deceiving." She finished the apple and the core vanished in a spiral. "Yes, this'll be a good place to test it out."

"What are you…"

"Do you want to know why your mother abandoned you?" Cloak asked. Nova's hairs stood on end. Cloak gave a triumphant bow. "All I had to do was confirm her fears."

"What are you talking about? What do you know about my mom?" Nova yelled.

"Why don't you try making me answer you."

"Nova she's baiting you!" Nephrite tried to warn but it was too late. Nova had already fired her grappling hook and was zipping up to the roof. Cloak jumped to dodge the sword strike. She twisted in the air and flew back to the clock tower. Nova grappled up to it chasing after her. "NOVA!" Nephrite knew whatever happened next, would be terrible.

Cloak's hood opened up. It appeared as if her body had vanished. Instead, a horde of Grimm poured from the void. Nova flipped and kicked off of them, a cut down a few that got in range. Then a deathstalker slammed into her body. Nephrite called for help. She pulled out her weapons and opened fire. She sent an SOS to Citrine, Topaz, Eiess, her parents, the police, anyone she could under pressure.

The Grimm kept coming. She kicked a beowolf in the head and blew up a massive ursa with a palm strike. She took down a batch of creeps with a sweep of her pistols. She could see Nova swinging and bouncing around to do the same. A few police officers pulled up and opened fire on the Grimm. Nova and Nephrite's teams showed up next. All of them joined in the fray.

Radiant white light blasted from Johnny's flashlight. Scotland was a veritable fortress of gears and guns. Ariadne ran decoy, luring Grimm into the cross-hairs of her teammates. Citrine sped around, with her scythe fully extended and sliced through Grimm as if they were the crops scythes were originally designed for. Eiess cast glyphs to keep Citrine and Nova in the air, so they could deal with the pair of nevermores that flew over the city. The heiress also held her own against a trio of boarbatusks. Topaz had the most impressive display, slicing through the largest Grimm with both her sword, and the ball of water that hovered beside her. In all the chaos, one thing became clear, Cloak had vanished as soon as the army of Grimm touched down.

The deathstalker smashed into a cop car, flipping it. The beast stung one of the officers and another frantically shot at it. Nephrite was the closest, so she moved to save the officer before he was killed. She threw herself in the scorpion's pathway. Then she heard the familiar sound of soaring grenades. The deathstalker was obliterated in a pink heart. In a blur the untrained eyes wouldn't be able to see, her father spiraled into combat, dealing with the Grimm on the ground.

"Dad!" Nephrite lost composure as she embraced him. The nevermore, the last of the Grimm barreled towards them. They were too far to stop it before it crashed into the building full of panicking people. Then, an orange streak cut it of. The beast's body went rigid. A white light appeared from Nephrite's leader, who, like Nephrite just moments earlier, threw herself in harm's way. The beast crashed into her. Citrine grunted in pain as her aura broke on impact. Nephrite's mom rocketed in and obliterated the beast with a swing of her hammer. Then, headmaster Qrow appeared, and caught Citrine's unconscious body.

"Citrine!" Eiess, Topaz and Nova screamed together as they ran up to the headmaster.

"Here we go again." The old man said. He cast his crystal eye on Nephrite. "I want you to tell me exactly how a horde of Grimm got into my city."

 **AN: Well that happened. You'll get another bit of the fight from Citrine's point-of-view for the beginning of next chapter, then you'll get the aftermath of it. The mystery deepens for the reader, but as far as anyone else knows, Cloak isn't at all involved with what happened on the train (even though she is). There's a lot of foreshadowing and lip service to things that'll happen later. Please review, follow and favorite.  
**


	17. Inheritance

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: This chapter has a lot of content I'm going to try to get out ASAP. If you haven't figured it out, we have three factions at work, the good guys, Cipher and the Chaos Syndicate. So, let us focus in a little bit.**

Chapter 17: Inheritance

Citrine's memory faded in and out. It was like a haze, a dream she couldn't wake from. There were Grimm in the streets. All her friends were fighting. She was fighting. She blocked the paw of an ursa with her shield then shot the beast. She kicked off its dissipating corpse and crushed a beowolf's skull. She jumped and landed on a glyph to boost herself further to strike a nevermore out of the air.

There were people cowering in the buildings. Scotland and Johnny formed a shield protecting them from the Grimm. Citrine just continued to bounce around on the glyphs Eiess gave her. She couldn't understand what had happened. This was too deep in the city for it to be a lucky batch of Grimm getting past the walls. There were no Redstone scepters dictating this as an accident. There were no holes in the street indicating a breach. Just, one moment the city was safe, the next Grimm were all over this block.

One last nevermore remained. It took a last chance dive at the restaurant filled with frightened folks. Citrine didn't know what came over her. She scattered at a speed she had never achieved before. She flew and readied her weapon to intercept the beast. A burning anger fueled her bones. Everything in the dead of the night became as bright as day. And a voice reached out to her.

"My blood…the blood of the strongest man to ever live flows through your veins." An old man said. Citrine saw a single silver eye in her mind. "This beast dares to defy you? Send him back to Oblivion!" The eye glowed and radiated through Citrine's body. "This power is ours. The power of the apex predator."

In that moment, Citrine felt her blood come to a boil. For an instant, she felt at home. Here, throwing herself at a diving nevermore. The beast constricted in fear. This feeling that ran through Citrine's eyes and heart, this is what it felt like to be the alpha, the apex predator, the top of the food chain, the thing of Grimm nightmares. Then the paralyzed beast collided with her, and the once bright light diminished.

"Citrine!" She heard her friends calling her.

"Here we go again." She heard Qrow say. "I want you to tell me exactly how a horde of Grimm got into my city."

"She's going to be alright." Ren said assuredly. Some time has passed.

"I know that." Her mother said sadly. "I want to be here when she wakes up. I…it's time that I explained something to her."

Some more time passed. Citrine awoke in a hospital bed. She had a bandage around her head and a hospital gown, but nothing else. Her mom was sitting in the chair next to her. She was also wearing loose fitting clothes. Her pregnant stomach pushed against the fabric. It wouldn't be long now before Citrine had another younger sibling.

Eiess, Nova, and the rest of their teams were also around. Aunt Yang was there too, her mask rested on the windowsill and her left hand rested on Nova's shoulder. Citrine's eyes focused on Johnny's. He seemed to be studying her. It was enough to make her blush.

"You're awake." Ruby said.

"What happened?" Citrine said.

"You saved all those people." Ruby said. "What do you remember?"

"There were Grimm, people in a restaurant, a nevermore, then…a bright light." Citrine said. Ruby's face lit up.

"I suspected as much." She wrapped her arms around her oldest daughter and kissed her cheek. "I'm so glad you discovered it on much better terms than I did. Citrine wrapped her arms around her mom's.

"What do you mean?" Citrine asked. Ruby sighed.

"Team JANS, would you kindly leave." Ruby said. "The rest of you can stay because this'll effect you too."

"What about me?" Nova protested. Yang tightened her grip on Nova's shoulder. Both looked at Ruby pleadingly.

"Very well Nova, you can stay…but only because you're practically family." Ruby answered. Johnny, Ariadne, and Scotland left. Nova took a seat and wrapped her arms around a book lovingly. Yang leaned against the wall next to her.

"So, what happened?" Citrine asked.

"I once told you about the history of our clan. How we have long since been praised for our talent against the Grimm. I told you about my adventures. I told you about the maidens. But I did not tell you how our clan's technique worked or what it did."

"It's better for you to discover it naturally." Yang added in. "As far as we know, Argentware who try to force the power out…don't fare well."

"I understand." Citrine said. "It's like if you try forcing yourself into adulthood."

"I guess you could look at it that way. But, no Argentware has had the knowledge to force it out for over a hundred years." Yang shrugged.

"The light in your eyes, the eyes of our people, acts as a catalyst that triggers fear in Grimm." Ruby said. "I'll explain more about it, and help train you when you come back home for break."

"Alright." Citrine sighed.

"Someone created a portal in the city. Grimm got through then they left." Ruby explained. "We don't know why, and we're not sure how. We just know that no one was hurt. That's all that matters."

"Tell that to my aching head." Citrine grumbled.

"We suspect the person involved was an agent of Cipher." Yang let the bomb drop. "The description Nova and Nephrite gave of the perpetrator matches someone I've had encounters with before. Her semblance is some kind of worm hole."

"She said it was a test." Nova said.

"She could be planning on doing it again sometime." Ruby said.

"Or…she could have done it to test Citrine." Eiess said.

"That's a possibility…considering who Cipher's commander is." Yang said. Ruby nodded.

"So, this has nothing to do with the train incident."

"It doesn't seem like it." Yang said. Something about how she said it seemed off.

"What if it was Cipher that caused the train incident…" Topaz started.

"Drop it." Yang said.

"But it would explain why it doesn't match the Chaos Syndicate M.O."

"Leave it to the huntsmen. If you find the Syndicate, fine, call it in and let the professionals deal with it. But let me tell you, there is no finding Cipher. Those who even get close, never come back." Nova hick-upped at that.

"Was my mom…?" Nova said.

"No." Yang rubbed her head. "I told you, your mom's fine. We just got stranded in the middle of Dragna for a while kiddo." Yang smiled. "She's recovering from that. As soon as she's able, she's coming here to Beacon to see you."

"How long would that be?" Nova asked, clutching the book harder.

"It could be a while, she took a hard one." Yang said. "And just to make it special, she might wait for family weekend."

"But that's still months away!"

"I know and she's sorry." Yang said. "I told her to at least call you when she can." Yang nudged the book. "Until then, sorry for the late birthday present. Blame me for that. I was supposed to deliver it." Nova stayed silent.

"So…" Citrine put a hand on her mother's stomach. "Do you know if it's a boy or a girl."

"It's a boy." Ruby answered. "I have my idea for a name. But I have to wait and see."

"I guess Dad is back home?" Citrine asked.

"Papers don't grade themselves." Ruby said. "I was only able to come here because Yang conveniently showed up. Otherwise, it'd be Qrow having this conversation with you." Ruby stood to leave. "Good luck on your exams. I'll see you when you come home fore break." Ruby said.

"I'll see you around kiddo." Yang waved. "You too." She touched Nova's chin with her fingers. "I'll probably kick around Vacuo while you're on break."

"I'll see you then." Nova said. Yang and Ruby exited the room. Citrine rolled off the bed to stretch her legs.

"Well you heard them. We got about two weeks before all of us are back home. We need to find the Chaos Syndicate before then."

"I don't think they're responsible for the train though." Topaz said.

"Even so…they're wanted criminals. And I think Ariadne and I found a pretty good lead."

 **AN: Quite a bit of setup for future chapters in here. We're starting to wrap up this first arc. Things are going to start going down. I've had quite a lot of fun with this first arc. There will be more to come later.**


	18. Super Sonic

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: Things are going to pick up speed, literally. Okay so, maybe not literally. We still have a few chapters before we get to the climax of this arc, but consider this another mid-climax. I'm at least excited.**

Chapter 18: Super Sonic

Nova jumped from tree to tree in Forever Fall. She kept her mind calm and her heartbeat steady. This was too dangerous a place to let her emotions take over. Not that Forever Fall had any powerful Grimm running around but any Grimm fight would just be a waste of time.

She was close, she could feel it. Ariadne's woodland friends had pointed them in the right direction. There were a handful of old roads and pathways criminals would use on their treks through the forest. Teams CTEN and JANS had spread out looking for any information, any sign of them.

Nova stuck to the trees. Forever Fall was dense enough for someone of her ability to go from one end to the other without touching the ground. She followed the patrol path Johnny had set up for her, going around in circles, hoping to find something.

Then she saw them. Mercury and Emerald were taking a relaxed stroll through the forest. Emerald was counting coins from a bag and Mercury starred up at the sky. Nova clutched her scroll, ready to call for help. Then she had a thought, they didn't know she was there. They stuck with their casual stroll. If she could get the drop on them, then call for help, she could even the odds. Maybe they could even bring the pair in. Nova's mind went to the glory that would bring her as she readied her weapon.

"Come here often?" A man said behind her. A chill ran down her spine as she turned to strike her assailant. A boy with chocolate skin, silver hair, and candy red eyes was behind her. A metal clad boot heading for her face.

"Kuso." She said. The kick splintered the branch with an explosion as Nova hit the ground and rolled to her feet.

"Well, well, well." The boy said as he dropped down. He wore black sweatpants and a matching turtle neck sweater and gloves. "What do we have here? Some lowly bandit?"

"I…" Nova stood up. "I am a huntress of Vale." She pointed a sword at him. She made sure all three of them were in her sights.

"As I live and breathe, a true bonafide huntress." He said mockingly. "Aren't you a little young to be out here by yourself?"

"Get lost kid before you get yourself hurt." Emerald said. Nova reached for her scroll.

"You're wanted for a string of murders and burglaries." Nova grabbed her scroll. The boy kicked his foot out and shot it.

"If you were a huntress you would have dodged that." He said. "The name's Jetstream Black, what's yours?"

"None of your concern?" Nova said.

"I believe it's a common courtesy." Jet said with a smirk.

"My name is Nova Wukah…." She was cut off as Jet fired a bullet at her.

"Dynamic leap." He flew through the air with one leg extended, parallel to the ground. Nova managed to dodge it and swung a blade at him but it missed.

"Wukong?" Mercury said.

"Oh, man, it's kitty cat and monkey brains little brat." Emerald put her face to her palm.

"We should probably just beat her within an inch of her life and leave." Mercury suggested.

"But Dad!" Jet protested. "I never get to have fun with someone my age."

"Fine, you get five minutes." Emerald said as she sat against a tree. "But if huntsmen come, we're leaving."

"Five minutes…that's more than enough." Jet vanished, moving faster than Nova's eyes can see. "Gunmetal kick!" He kicked her across the face and fired lightning dust from his boot. Nova tumbled to the ground. She took her sword and fired the gun. Jet dodged each bullet by a wide margin. He smirked and grinned, moving ever closer. Taking pauses in between in bullet to gloat and fake yarn. He leaned against a tree for a split second before moving again.

Nova moved to reload. Jet elbowed her in the stomach, grabbed her arm, kicked her forward and backward on the head, flipped forward with an axe kick that he called out. Nova bounced off the ground and used her semblance to evade another blow to the head.

She linked her swords and took a more defensive stance. He flipped backwards and leaped in the air. With a smirk on his face, he began bouncing around the trees. Nova's eyes struggled to keep up. She tried predicting the pattern and shooting where he would be. But every time she fired, he's pick up speed and move just ahead of the bullet. He was taunting her, underestimating her, it pissed her off to no end.

"Hold still teme." She swore and unleashed a sweeping blade beam. He slid under it and vaulted up to kick her in the chin. In an instant, he was above her delivering another axe kick. She blocked the next kick and ducked under another. She cartwheeled out of the way of a sweeping kick. Then he dashed around and kicked her in the back. Her aura shattered from the kick.

"Aww, she's broken." Jet mused. "And we're only halfway there. Looks like you were just out of your league." Nova fired fruitlessly at him. He dodged every single bullet. "Better luck next time…Dynamic kick!" He leaped into the air again. A flash of light erupted in the forest. Jet was blasted back into a tree. Standing in front of Nova, was Johnny.

"Looks like I got here just in time." Johnny said.

"Two minutes left honey." Emerald said passively.

"Alright, new guy…" Jet flipped to his feet. "I'll make this quick."

"That you will." Johnny boasted. Nova fumed to herself. Part of her wanted to warn him. Part of him wanted Jet to kick that self-righteous smirk off Johnny's face. So, she just held her tongue. Whatever happens, would benefit her mood after the humiliating loss.

"I'll kick your head off with one…" He dashed forward faster than her eyes could see. Johnny managed to dodge it. "Kick?" He spun around for another kick and Johnny dodged it. "Alright, you got some moves, certainly, better than the Faunas."

"That Faunas is my partner." Johnny declared. Jet started bouncing around the trees.

"Let's see how you handle an attack faster than your eye can see!" Jet kept bouncing around the trees. "Where's it going to come from huntsman?" He gloated. Johnny turned his head and aimed his flashlight. Jet slammed on the breaks, but not in time to dodge the blast of energy that came from the weapon.

"You're fast." Johnny said. "But my eyes are faster."

"What the…" Jet groaned.

"Times up." Mercury stood. A portal appeared between Mercury and Jet. Yang stepped out from it and grabbed Jet by the back of the neck.

"Let me…" Jet protested but Yang punched him in the stomach to knock the wind out of him.

"Blondie? It's been a while." Mercury said.

"I'm bringing you in." Yang said. "That's if you want your son."

"He's a grown man. He can take care of himself." Mercury said. "Take him…a little time in a hole might do him some good."

"That's cold Black, even for you."

"It's not like you can keep him. Unlike me and Em, he's not a war criminal."

"I'm sure I'll think of something." Yang punched Jet again to knock him out. But to his credit, he still remained conscious.

"Go ahead bimbo." Jet said. "Beat me all you want, it won't change a thing." Yang looked over at Mercury who simply shrugged. The illusion vanished and Mercury and Emerald were gone. Yang punched Jet again, this time in the face, knocking him out.

"Don't call me that you little bastard." Yang said. She opened a portal and threw him through. "You okay kid?" She asked Nova.

"Yeah." Nova lied. She probably had a broken rib and a shattered pride.

"Don't feel bad for that loss." Johnny said as he reached his hand out to her. "All I did was read his movements. If the battle dragged out any longer I don't know if I would have fared well." He reassured her. She shoved his hand out of the way and picked herself up.

"There's no trace of them." Yang said. "They were long gone by the time they stopped talking." She cursed under her breath. "We'll get them next time. And now we have someone to question about where they might be."

 **AN: To be continued next time. I love Jetstream Black. I can't wait to get more into him and the ludicrous amounts of ass he kicks. This was a fun chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think with a review and share the love with a follow and a fave.**


	19. August Rush

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: I'll admit the next four chapters are pseudo filler. I needed some ideas to pad out the story to make it the length of a full volume. Anyone whose read my works has seen it done before. The simple fact is that I have not planned as much for this story as I had RWBYond Vale or RWBYond War. Which is why after this arc, there'll be a bit of a hiatus before I go into the second arc.**

Chapter 19: August Rush

Topaz walked around the docks with Ariadne, Nephrite and Scotland. Between the Grimm surge and Nova's run-in with the Chaos Syndicate, both Johnny and Citrine thought it better to travel in fours. Not that it mattered. The investigation was a bust. They found the criminals, but now that Arbiter woman was taking things over. Topaz didn't care if she was Citrine's aunt. She was a little peeved that the best chance for action slipped through her fingers without her having any say.

But if Kuchinashi and Corinth had taught Topaz anything, if you want to fins a band of thieves, check the docks. Every port city had some criminal element and they always hung around the docks. The port was bustling with activity. The daily shipment of fish and other resources were coming in. The group kept a lookout for any suspicious persons.

Ariadne found a small nudge over the shallow gulf. She sat at the edge and dipped her feet in. Nephrite sat next to her cross legged. Topaz sat on the other side of Nephrite. She grabbed a pebble and skipped it on the water. She abused her semblance to pop at the impact point to make the pebble skip all the way out of her range.

"That was really cool." Scot said.

"It's a good training exercise for me." Topaz said. "It requires a lot of control." Nephrite grabbed a pebble and skipped it on the water. It almost went as far as Topaz's.

"Holy cow." Scot said.

"It's all in the wrist." Nephrite said evenly. Ariadne pulled out her flute and began playing as she splashed her feet in the water. Several small minnows came up to her feet and began nibbling on her toes.

"You, just going to let them do that?" Scotland asked.

"They're not hurting anything." Ariadne said.

"Well, I don't trust the water." Scotland said.

"I love the water!" Topaz cheered as she splashed his face with her semblance.

"Stop that." He said. "I have...bad memories about it."

"Oh...want to talk about it?" Topaz asked.

"Not really...but it's why I don't have a family."

"No...family...?" Ariadne said.

"Yeah well...I live with my uncle now." Scotland said. "Or...I guess not anymore now that I'm at Beacon."

"Sorry about that." Topaz said.

"It's alright." Scotland said. "It's not like anyone could have done anything. The Grimm weren't involved."

"The Grimm took my family." Ariadne said. She pulled her feet up and grabbed her shins. "I think...Johnny did too. He doesn't talk about it."

"It happens." Nephrite said. "It's not as common as it used to be but it happens. My grandparents were from Mistral...they died when my parents were little."

"All four of your grandparents?" Scotland asked.

"Yep." Nephrite answered.

"That's rough." Scotland sat down. "Makes my trials seem mundane."

"No, sharing trials is good for building teamwork." Nephrite said. "We're not on the same team but we're still working together."

"That's what the professors were saying at the beginning of the semester." Topaz remembered.

"They always say that." Nephrite said with a shrug. "At least as long as my parents have been teaching there. Apparently it was something Mrs. Ruby suggested to the academies to promote unity."

"That's exactly right." A man said behind them. Topaz looked to see a familiar face. August Gold stood with his arms behind his back.

"August!" Topaz said as she ran up to him. "How are you doing? What are you doing in Vale?"

"I'm doing fine...as are your parents. I've been here since that little...situation with the Grimm. That's why I'm here."

"Oh, you think it was those...you know?" Topaz didn't really know what or who August had been hunting her whole life. She only knew whoever it was, was elusive and dangerous.

"Yes. But never you mind that young Topaz."

"Not so young now." She thrust her chest out. "I'm turning eighteen pretty soon."

"Pretty soon is not the present." He said.

"So, how long are you going to be here?"

"Until the trail runs cold, leads me elsewhere, or I catch them. I reckon it'll be elsewhere."

"They can warp places." Nephrite stepped up. "I saw her, the one called Cloak. She vanished right before my eyes. It was strange. I had never felt anything like her."

"I see...perhaps I'll have dinner with your family and ask you more about it." August said. "But right now, I'm supposed to be meeting Ursa and Kraken to compare notes."

"Alright so, see you around." Topaz said.

"Sure thing kiddo." August said. "Catch you later." He started walking away. "You know...the White Fang used to meet in Warehouse 5, pretty close to here. I know team RWBY got their criminal catching start from there."

"Okay?" Topaz said. August walked off.

"I think he was trying to give us a tip." Nephrite said. "The Chaos Syndicate were pulling the White Fang's leash in those days."

"Oh...awesome!" Topaz said. "We should check it out."

"Later." Nephrite stretched. "My dad wants to do some training with me while we have some time off." Nephrite said.

"Well..." Ariadne walked up, mission accomplished?"

"Sounds like it." Scotland said. "Won't hurt to check it out tonight when there's not so many people."

 **AN: Good to see August again. He's going to become pretty important in future arcs. Much like the Arbiters of old, he's going to be the exposition dumper throughout this story. Well, him and Yang both really. See, there's a reason why I gave them a thing in Happily Ever After.**


	20. The Upper Limits of Aura

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: These next three chapters will probably be pretty short. I don't have that much planned for them, just little moments leading up to the climax of the arc. This chapter, is something I planned for a while, but moved up in the schedule thanks to the latest episode.**

Chapter 20: The Upper Limits of Aura

Nephrite lunged forward with a kick. Her father caught it and swept her leg. Nephrite rolled over her shoulder and kicked her foot out to connect with his chin. As he blocked it, she pivoted on her wrist to connect her other foot with his chin. He jumped back as Nephrite recomposed herself. They mirrored each other's fighting stances.

"Well done Nephrite." Ren said. "You saw an opportunity and you took action."

"I learned from the best." Nephrite said.

"Thanks."

"I was talking about mom." A look of disappointment crossed her dad's face. "Just kidding. A lot of those tricks I picked up on from mom's stories. Back when you were a team. Traveling with Ruby and Jaune."

"I see, Ruby was always admirable for her ability to react to situations."

"I think Citrine's the same way."

"I'm glad. Citrine seems to have inherited a lot from her parents." He put a fist to his chest. "There's no one I'm prouder to have followed than those two."

"I know." Nephrite said.

"Well...it still stands." He walked over to the Redstone pillars. "Let's try something a little different. How's your aura control?"

"Impeccable." Nephrite boasted.

"Very well." Ren said. "I want you to tap into your semblance. To tap into your aura."

"Alright." Nephrite began to sit in her meditative stance.

"No, I want you to do it standing." He activated the pillar and Grimm began to spawn in the container.

"What?"

"Calm down. Look inside yourself. See beyond your own semblance. Extend it to the world around you. Grimm can smell your emotions but they are fickle creatures. They don't always act on fear and other negative feelings. Close off that part of yourself that dreads, that part that panics, weeps, spites, feels empty, avaricious, furious."

"Okay." She said. She used her semblance, her aura and her vision.

"Achieve Zen." Ren said. "Feel the world around you. Aura connects all living things."

"But Grimm have no aura."

"Yet they are still bound to this realm through it. Through Redstone and Grimm essence they manifest on Remnant. You can feel them, can't you? That sinking pit of darkness is a sea of light."

"I can." Nephrite was fully aware of her surroundings. The world was alive, save for the dark splotches dictating where the Grimm are.

"Your semblance is like mine. But whereas mine grants me vision beyond belief, yours allows you to tap into the very aura of the planet…and tap into it. Do it, to close off all that the Grimm desire."

Nephrite took deep breaths. She utilized aura and semblance and every other trick in her book to slow her heart rate and close her mind from the grievances of humanity. She knew she was the only one who could do this. He semblance was tailored for it. But it had its limits.

"They can see me. No amount of emotionless can stop their eyes from seeing."

"Is that so?" Ren mused. "Ancient Valeans believed the Grimm were created by the god of destruction so that even the daylight ruled by his brother could feel his wrath. Ancient Vacuons believed Grimm were created to give humanity an adversary to promote growth. Ancient Mistralians believed they were nature's wrath, created from the planet to punish humanity for their abuse of resources."

"And Mantlians?"

"They thought Grimm were just monsters. No different than a wolf." Ren answered. "The point is, they exclusively attack humanity and their creations. Nature is something they aspire to. That is your goal. You become one with nature, and the Grimm will look at you no differently than they do a bird, or a deer."

Nephrite did so. She channeled her aura. She manipulated it to the same wave length as the world around her. She took a deep breath and felt her semblance take over. Her father opened the cage. The Grimm slowly moved out of the container. They walked up to her, sniffing the air. But they ignored her. In a bold move, she walked up, measuring each step and breath carefully. She petted the Grimm, felt the ursa's fur and bone armor.

"This is so freaking cool." She said. The Grimm snarled and took a swing at her. She panicked and hit the beast with a palm strike, killing it.

"You broke your concentration." Ren said.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be…you did better than I ever could at that age."

"I don't believe it." Nephrite said. She had pet a Grimm, without using any of the tricks Grimm tamers used.

"That is why you failed." Ren said. "You could not recognize the upper limits of your aura. You were stricken with disbelief, and you doubted yourself." Ren put a hand on her shoulder. "Know this, my little jade stone, you have only begun to see what you could do. You are so close to adulthood. Only when you begin to live your own life, when you reach the age where you can choose who you care for, can you see what you're capable of."

"Thanks dad." Nephrite smiled and blushed.

"So, your first semester is almost done." Ren said. "Are there any boys, I should be worried about?"

"Dad!" Nephrite blushed.

"You can tell me, or choose not to. I won't push it…I can't promise the thing about your mother."

"Oh god, she's not curious, is she?" Nephrite said.

"She has been rather interested in your friendship with your teammates and those of team JANS." Nephrite blushed at the implications.

"There's not anybody whose caught my interest. When there is, I'll tell you." Nephrite spoke honestly.

"Alright. I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts on your team and the semester after your finals." Ren mused.

"I'll have nothing but pleasant things to say." Nephrite bowed.

 **AN: So, that was my attempt to make sense of Ren's semblance. Either way, it'll come into play, especially in future arcs. Also, Ren and Nephrite have such a cool relationship whereas Nora and Nephrite is much more…exuberant. I hope you liked it.**


	21. Cold Shoulder

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: Another filler-ish chapter. This was actually supposed to be chapter 20, but I switched it in response to the latest RWBY episode. This is also going to pick up on a hanging little plot thread from one of the earliest chapters in this story, and by extension, some lip-service things from RWBYond War.**

Chapter 21: Cold Shoulder

Finals week was upon Beacon. Eiess was cramming for Prof Nora's Grimm Studies class. The library was filled with students, dutifully typing papers and researching texts. Eiess had already written up her papers for her other classes. It may have taken several liters of coffee and an all nightery or two but she did it.

So, her final paper was, on paper, her easiest assignment. She had to research a professional huntsmen team and analyze at least one testimony regarding one of their missions. Huntsmen logs were typically up for public access. Most exploits made it to the news. Since the Grimm War, the media had been required to focus on the hopeful aspects of daily life. Especially since a recent book blamed Vale News for how quickly the Grimm War got out of hand.

Eiess had ulterior motives with this project though. Ever since the semester started, she's had a nagging question in the back of her mind. Who was the blue haired man in that photo? It was just a curiosity. She knew her mother was always the popular sort. She had probably had dozens of boyfriends, both long-term and short, in her youth. Eiess was also sure she had heard about this man before.

It took her some time to find him. Eiess had started with those who attended Beacon at the same time as her mother. The list was short, due to the Grimm War shutting down the academies in favor of quick response teams. But he was nowhere to be found. Eiess then expanded her search to teams who were present at the fortieth Vytal Festival Tournament, a world changing event that set the stage for the Grimm War.

That's where she found him. Neptune Vasilias. Member of Team SSSN of Haven Academy. He had a pretty lucrative combat record with the Gold Knight Huntsmen Company. Taught at Shade for a few years but has since transferred to Haven. His team leader was Sun, Nova's father. At that revelation Eiess had a cute thought of the four going on a double date. She wondered if Mrs. Ruby and Yang might have dated the other two members of Team SSSN. A team on team date night was an amusing idea.

The fact that the two teams seemed to be tight nit, albeit not as much as RWBY and JNPR, added credence that Eiess did know this man. He may have even been around when she was a child, if her mother was on good terms with him back then. Eiess considered asking Nova some questions, surely, she'd heard more about this Neptune character than Eiess had.

Eiess was just about to give her a call when her scroll buzzed. She had a text message from Citrine. Seeing the young leaders beaming face pop on her scroll as it rang brought a smile to Eiess' face. It had always been this way. They had been best friends their whole lives. Their mothers were best friends and partners. It was like history repeated itself, but without any of the loneliness that plagued their predecessors' youth.

"Hello?" Eiess said in a measured tone.

"Hey bestie, you free tonight?" Citrine asked.

"Probably not." Eiess said sorrowfully.

"Dang." Citrine said. "I was hoping on following up on that lead Topaz got."

"I'm free tomorrow." Eiess said.

"Awesome!" Citrine blared. "So, you working on your Grimm Studies paper?"

"Yep, I'm doing it on Team SSSN. They were a Haven team when our parents were our age."

"Oh yeah, Nova's dad led that team, didn't he?" Citrine said.

"That's right."

"I did mine on Team ARRN, Topaz did hers on Team JNPR. Nova tried getting Team RWBY but Nephrite beat her to it. Plus, Prof Nora didn't want us doing a team linked to our parents. So, Nova is doing Team STRQ."

"It would be a little unfair." Eiess shrugged. "Am I the only one who did a team from another school?"

"Johnny is doing some team from Atlas." Citrine said. "We were talking about it in lit class yesterday. I already have mine done though."

"Well you didn't have the amount of papers I had to write."

"True." Citrine said. "So, you want to catch something to eat. If you want, I'll bring you something."

"That'd be really sweet of you." Eiess blushed a bit. "But I must persist you don't. I don't want you to pay for anything when I have more money than I know what to do with."

"It's no problem really." Citrine said.

"No, save your money. I'll order a pizza with my credit card and you can bring it down here for us."

"If you say so." Citrine said. "It'll just be me and you. Nephrite and Topaz decided to study together for their test."

"You should consider studying too." Eiess commented.

"Nah, I got these tests in the bag."

"That's awfully confident."

"Eiess…I don't know about you but I've been studying for this my whole life. There's nothing else I've wanted to be. I've learned things. But I didn't have to learn most things this semester. Trust me, if anyone has this semester wrapped up…it's me. Well, or Johnny." There was a hint of admiration in her voice.

"You're right. I don't doubt you. I just…don't want anything to get in your way."

"I won't." Citrine said. "See you in a bit."

"Bye." Eiess said as Citrine hung up. She switched tabs on the computer and ordered a pizza for the two of them. Citrine arrived mere minutes later with the pizza in hand.

"Grace." She clapped her hands together before digging into a slice. Cheese dripped from her mouth as she took a bite out of the meal. Eiess was much more careful with her meal.

"Here." Eiess tenderly used a napkin to wipe Citrine's messy chin. Eiess began explaining her predicament with Neptune and her curiosity with his history with her mother.

"Yeah, they were dating for a long time." Citrine said. "Apparently, they were on again off again until your parents got together. They were all part of my parents' wedding." She took another massive bite. "I think my aunt Yang dated him for a bit too."

"Hmm…" Eiess contemplated.

"Funny…he's got that same cute tan complexion you got." Citrine said.

"He does? Wait…cute?" Eiess said with a gasp.

"What? Do you not think you're cute or something?"

"No, it's just…coming from you it sounds weird." Eiess shrugged.

"How come?" Eiess just shrugged again.

"I heard there's a dance at the beginning of next semester. Some sort of celebration they're starting this year. I'm going to get us both hot dates." Citrine laughed.

"I don't think that'll be necessary." Eiess said.

"Hot dates are always necessary." Someone said behind them.

"Aunt Yang!" Citrine spun around and gave her a hug. Yang wrestled her down and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"How're you doing kiddo?" Yang wrestled her around more and messed Eiess' hair. "Studying Team SSSN? I mean, teenage girl going for eye candy can't do any better. That's a handsome team."

"That's Nova's dad you're talking about." Citrine said.

"Yeah and he's pretty much my best friend so I'm allowed." She stuck her tongue out.

"So, what can you tell me about Neptune Vasilias?" Eiess inquired.

"Oh…um…well…he was pretty sweet but…and smart, definitely smart."

"You totally used to date him." Citrine gleamed.

"Yeah and it ended on awkward terms." Yang said.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Maybe when you're older." Yang said. "Or you could con your mom into telling you. I'm sure she likes to gossip sometimes." She looked right at Eiess.

"Okay." Eiess said with a raised eyebrow. "The only thing I want to ask is when my mom and he last went out."

"Why do you ask?" Yang said.

"I just find it odd that there was such a sweet picture in my house yet I'd never heard about him before."

"Yeah, not opening that can of worms. That's a question to ask your mother. I try not to get in her love life anymore. It did not go well last time."

"Last time?" Eiess asked.

"No comment." Yang said. "Anyway, so what's all this about chasing down Merc and Em?"

"We're playing detectives." Citrine cheered.

"Well, whenever you get around to it…give me a call. I won't steal your thunder, just make sure you don't get too hurt." She leaned in closer. "And it'll be our little secret." She winked at Citrine and walked away.

"Well that was productive." Eiess said. It just raised more questions. There was something Yang wasn't telling her. She felt a call deep inside her soul. A call to find the answer.

 **AN: A lot of set up for Eiess for this whole story. And a little more about how the school works, which as a teacher, interests me. And for anyone who thinks and are dreading how this character cue will play out…shut up I'm doing a thing.**


	22. Idols

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: This is a chapter I've had planned since the beginning. I love taking characters and having them interact, showing all the dynamics that come from their situations. I've already done a lot with these girls but not so much together.**

Chapter 22: Idols

Nova laid in the courtyard outside the herbology building on campus. It was a bright day. Summer was well on its way. Yang had offered to train with her, and as much as Nova wanted to, she had to pass it up. Her team and Team CTEN were going to the warehouse district. They had a few leads based around Yang and Griffon's interference lately. All the group was missing was time to check it out.

Nova extended her hand out to the mid-day sun. The light was blinding from this position. Nova popped on shades and closed her eyes. She enjoyed bathing out in the sun like this. If she felt like it, she could have easily switched to her bathing suit and worked on her tan. But unlike her father, she didn't tan well. That was something she got from her mother.

Speaking of which, she reached over and sat up. She cracked open the book her mother had gotten to her. Nova wasn't even confident of that. Everything was just too convenient for her mother. It pissed Nova off to no end.

"Mind if I join you?" Yang asked as she set up a lawn chair. She was in her bathing suit. Her numerous scars showed like trophies. Her prosthetic arm was a constant reminder of what she'd been through.

"Go ahead." Nova said.

"S, how're you liking the book?" Yang asked.

"It's nice. Thank you."

"Thank your mom." Yang responded. Nova simply scowled. She groaned as students and others walked by and paused to check the older woman out.

"She couldn't bring it here herself." Nova groaned. "How do I know you're not just trying to smooth things over."

"Nova, you know your mother loves you…"

"Then why isn't she here?"

"I already told you why." Yang said. "She physically couldn't make the trip. Nova, I love you and your mother to death. I don't want there to be so much hostility when she finally gets here."

"Like that'll happen." Nova said. She heard some cat calls. She thought it was for her but to her surprise they were whistling at Yang.

"Good to know I still got game."

"Is that why you're in your bathing suit?" Nova asked.

"Bitch, it might be." She gleamed. "If you're lucky, you'll still be drop dead gorgeous at forty."

"I don't really care about that." Nova said. "So long as I'm strong."

"Well…I got that too. And that has nothing to do with luck." Yang leaned back again. "Heard from Citrine that you're all going to the warehouse district tonight."

"Yep."

"Cool…hey, if things get rough and I have to save you…don't take it personal. I'd do anything to help you…you know that, right?"

"Yeah." Nova said.

"So, how'd your grades go?"

"You sound like Dad when you say that."

"Well, I worry about you sometimes." Yang said.

"I know." Nova said. "Sometimes I wish you were my actual mom." Nova whispered to herself.

"Come again?"

"Nothing." Nova back peddled.

"Nova, you have to get over this." Yang said. "Your mother is busy…"

"And you work with her yet here you are."

"That's because you're family. Just like Citrine. We might not be blood related but I still think of you as a niece…and your mom as my sister." She wrapped an arm around the younger girl and pulled her close. "I know you don't have it as good as Citrine or Nephrite, or even Eiess. But you have it a lot better than I did at your age."

"What do you mean?" Nova said. Yang began running her fingers through the inky black hair.

"I mean, when I was barely a newborn, my mother left me. She left me to travel the world, fight monsters, and discover secrets without having a burden. I was raised by Ruby's mom and my dad. But that didn't last long. Too soon, she died and I discovered the truth. I became obsessed with finding answers. So much so, I nearly got myself…and more importantly Ruby, killed. Whe I finally met my mother face to face, I got mad and she punished me. She talked so callously, like she didn't even care for me. Even now…that I technically work for her, she keeps me at arm's length. She treats me like a student or a servant. Not once, in my whole lifetime, has she shown anything close to motherly love. You might not see your mother, but when you do, she showers you with love…in her own way."

"I see." Nova felt a little guilty and awful for her mentor. She had heard most of this from Mrs. Ruby's stories. "But you always had Mrs. Ruby." She said. "There was always that silver lining for you. No matter what happened, you had her. I only have you and my dad…and neither of you are dependent on me. Not like she was on you."

"Ruby hasn't needed me in a long time." Yang messed Nova's hair. "Maybe that's why I've taken such a liking to you and your parents. When I'm hanging with you or your folks, I remember how good it felt to defend my sister. It's kind of nostalgic."

"Do I remind you of her?" Nova asked. "Mrs. Ruby I mean."

"You're determined. But you actually take more after me and your dad."

"Oh." Nova said with a sad voice.

"Can I ask you something? Why do you just call me Yang but you always call my sister Mrs. Ruby."

"I don't know. It just seems polite."

"Manners? You? You don't have such politeness with your teachers."

"Well they didn't earn it. No offense, I love you and all, but like you said, you are family. Like a big sister whose twice my age. Mrs. Ruby…" Nova said. "She's the greatest huntress that ever lived. If I'm going to be the best…that's who I should strive to be like. In my own way, of course but still…"

"I get it." Yang said. "All these years later and it's still strange to me. I can't hardly picture her as anything but that little girl screaming her head off that she wanted mom to read her a story."

"I could never picture that. I don't even think I've ever seen her sad." Nova said. She caught Eiess walking around the courtyard towards her.

"There you are." Eiess said. "We're getting ready to leaving." Eiess said.

"Hey Eiess." Yang said.

"Hello Ms. Xiao Long." Eiess gave a polite bow.

"Please, just Yang." Yang persisted. Eiess' eyes lingered a bit.

"Anyway, come one." Eiess said. Nova leaped to her feet. Yang stood as well.

"I'm going to hang out by the pool." Yang said. She started digging into her purse. "You look cute today by the way Eiess."

"Thank you." Eiess blushed.

"You look so much like your mother. Makes me glad I don't have kids. If they ended up looking like me, there's not enough shotgun shells in remnant that would keep her safe." She said. Nova rolled her eyes. "Besides…that's what I have you lot for." She took a red eyepiece out. It was identical to Headmaster Qrow's eyepiece, but for the other eye.

"What is this?"

"Just keep it for now." Yang said. She kissed Nova on the forehead. "Stay safe. And if you need any help. Please don't hesitate to ask."

 **AN: So, that's the dynamic Yang has with Nova and what she's like now. Yang was always one of ,y favorites to write. She's so filled with bravado and false confidence sheltering a burning rage that she basically writes herself. We're approaching the climax of this arc. Which, in all honesty, probably has serious pacing issues. But I like it.**


	23. The Where House

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: This is a lot later than I intended. It's primarily because, this day kind of kicked my butt. If you didn't know, I write these on a day to day basis and get ready to upload them as soon as I'm done writing. If I get it done within 24 hours of my previous upload, I wait. If not, I upload it right away. Today, my body forced me to take a six hour power nap between school, and doing any work.**

Chapter 23: The Where House

Eiess couldn't help but smile at her veritable entourage. Citrine blazed the way for the groups. Johnny stood next to her. Eiess was satisfied with being right behind her. The rest of their teams were right behind them as well. Nova and Nephrite were the exceptions, preferring the more indirect route of the rooftops.

Vale seemed like a dreary town at this time of night. It was the dead hours of the night. Ten p.m. to be more precise. It was Scotland's idea to get this far this late because their quarry would be less likely to be on the prowl. It seemed reasonable enough for the two leaders.

The warehouse district was even creepier. A fog from the sea rolled up from the docks and covered the streets in a fine mist. The streets in the district were empty. Despite being along the coast of Vale, it was a veritable ghost town. It was no wonder this was the most likely spot for a hangout.

"Alright guys." Citrine went rigid as she spun around. "Let's split up gang."

"Everyone with your partners. Let's make this easy." Johnny said. "Two pairs up, two pairs down."

"I work better down here in the mist." Topaz said.

"I figured that much." Citrine said. Nephrite leaped down from the roof. "This mist doesn't hurt your powers any, does it?"

"No." Nephrite answered. "It actually helps a little to be honest."

"Good." Johnny said. "Citrine and I will go above." Eiess nodded and cast some glyphs for the three of them to join Nova.

"So, where's this old hideout?" Citrine asked.

"Over on the edge of the district." Nova said as she led the way. "It's close to that club Nephrite and I went to a while ago."

"Alright." Citrine said. Nova led the way followed by Johnny. Citrine and Eiess spread out from them. Walking along the rooftops, Eiess was beginning to regret wearing heels. "I'll never know how you can fight in those things."

"It takes a balance and precision not many can pull off."

"Give me boots any day."

"You should see my mom fight. She's got taller heels than I do."

"Your mom is also short." Citrine smiled. Citrine eyed Eiess up which made her a bit nervous. "How much do those heels add to you anyway?"

"Four inches." Eiess said in a small voice.

"Oh, I thought I was going crazy." Citrine said. "I always thought you were taller than me. Then with us being roomates sometimes it seems we're the same height or that I'm taller."

"You're taller when I'm not wearing heels." Eiess said. "There's a two-inch difference both ways."

"Ah." Citrine said. A chill ran down Eiess spine as Citrine nudged her. "Johnny stopped."

"What do you…" Eiess was cut off as a blast of light flew past her nose. The beam hit a radiator. Someone jumped out from behind it. It was a girl with a long pony tail, a cat suit and a mask. She began to run away.

"We were being watched." Citrine said.

"An Arbiter?" Eiess asked upon seeing the mask.

"I don't think so." Citrine dashed forward. Eiess had trouble keeping up. Nova was firing pistols at the pursuer from the other side of the street.

"What's going on?" Nephrite called in.

"We're in pursuit of an unknown suspect." Johnny answered.

"Should we join you?" Ariadne asked.

"No, stay down there. We'll knock her down and you'll knock her out." Citrine responded. The ninja pulled out an electric whip and launched herself up to a radio tower.

"Citrine?" Eiess asked.

"Boost." Citrine responded. She pivoted on her heel and unfolded her weapon. She began to sling towards the sky and Eiess assisted by putting a glyph in the air between them for Citrine to kick off. She did, boosted by a shotgun blast and her semblance. Eiess followed up by breaking the glyph into half a dozen bolts that followed Citrine towards the ninja. The ninja struck the tower, casting it in lightning as she swung.

The ninja evaded Citrine's strike but was hit by a bolt. She crashed onto the rooftop where Nova engaged her. Eiess cast another glyph for Citrine to kick off. The leader used her semblance to scatter towards the ninja. She fired a shotgun blast down from behind the ninja, causing her to stumble. The shrapnel hit the ninja as Nova slashed wildly at her head.

Nova used a clone to keep the advantage. She and Johnny both dodged the whip attack as Citrine scooped the assailant up. Eiess used a glyph to get to that rooftop. Citrine smacked the girl's head with a blunt end of her scythe. Eiess surrounded the ninja with glyphs and zipped around, slashing away at her. The mask cracked and the ninja's skin lightened.

"Kuso." Nova continued Eiess' combo with a kick to the ninja's face.

"I see." Johnny said as he landed a blast to the ninja's gut. Nova tackled the ninja and pinned her to the ground. The mask was off.

"Dakara sore wa anata no subetedatta…Ilia." Nova scowled.

"You know this girl?" Johnny asked. Ilia headbutted Nova and scurried to her feet. Citrine cut off her escape. Ilia struck the ground creating a mist but Nova tackled her to the ground, and through a skylight.

"Nova!" Citrine dove in. Eiess and Johnny moved to follow her. But then a chain wrapped around Johnny.

"You shouldn't have come here." A woman said. From nowhere, Emerald appeared. "If my eyes don't deceive me…it's the Ice Queens little princess. And the boy who beat up my son."

"In my defense, he was a bit of an ass hole." Johnny said as he struggled against the chain. Emerald ran towards him, ready to cut him down with a sickle. Then, she was cut off by a blast. The chain loosened up, freeing Johnny. Scotland was on the roof, fully loaded. The others were by his side.

"Where's…" Topaz started but Eiess pointed to the hole.

"Topaz, Eiess go." Johnny said as he recomposed himself. "I'm confident that Nephrite and I…are the only ones who stand a chance against her. And we got to account for Mercury.

"I'll call for…" Eiess reached for her scroll only to find there was no signal.

"Let's go snowflake." Topaz grabbed her and they descended into the hole.

 **AN: The two-part climax is upon us. I'm still not sure whether to age Ilia up to be around Blake's age, or down to be around Nova's age. Either way, she served her purpose of getting the party started.**


	24. Fast Track

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: These next two chapters can take place in any order. I decided on this one because the threat wasn't really defined at the end of last chapter. This is also the first real big fight in this story so, once again, I'm taking my time with it tonight and tomorrow so sorry for the late upload.**

Chapter 24: Fast Track

Citrine had followed Nova and Ilia down the hole. Eiess had followed her. Nova landed on top of Ilia on a small loader which collapsed from their impact. Nova punched Ilia in the face as they collided to the ground. Ilia's aura shattered as Nova grabbed her by the collar. Citrine and Eiess broke their falls on her glyphs and landed beside her. Topaz quickly slip down on a water slide.

"Where's my mom?" Nova asked.

"How should I know you little brat?"

"I know you hate her. That you blame her for that Adam guy's death."

"Exactly. If I knew where she was, that's where I'd be. Not tailing a little street rat like…" Ilia was cut off as Nova punched her again.

"Kuso Yowai!" Nova threw her down.

"Well that was a bit excessive." A man said. Mercury was leaning against a wall. "What's the matter kitty-cat? My kid not beat you up enough?"

"As a matter of fact, he didn't…beat me up bad I mean…kuso." Nova fumed as Mercury laughed.

"And what do we have here?" He said. "It's Little Red's and Ice Queen's brat. What a happy little team. Too bad Blondie doesn't have a kid or you could have been a perfect repeat of Team RWBY." He looked at Topaz. "And…I don't know who you are."

"I'm just here for the party." Topaz said nervously. She pulled out her sword. Citrine saw a twinge of fear on her face. She wasn't even trying to hide it. She was sweating.

"One of those types." Mercury said. "Well I don't like to beat up kids…" Mercury dashed towards Topaz. Citrine's instincts kicked in and she threw herself in front of her teammate. She blocked the kick with her shield but was pushed far back. Mercury kicked the edge of the shield, forcing it away from her body. Black strands coated Mercury's body as he punched her gut and grabbed her hair. "I'll make an exception for you sense I have pent up aggression against your family." He tossed her up and delivered a spinning kick to her back.

"Citrine!" Eiess called. She dashed forward and slashed at Mercury. Nova joined her side and both danced around the thief with a flurry of blade. He flipped on his side to deliver a kick to Nova's face. He blocked Eiess' sword with his foot, slapped her, then kicked the back of her head. He back flipped into Nova, forcing her to bow, then thrusted his foot out to kick her away.

Topaz brought her sword down towards him. He dodged the downward strike and moved to back hand her face. She narrowly dodged it and swung her sword at him. He knocked it away with his feet and flung a kick at her head. She ducked under it and changed her sword to a trident, connecting a hit with the shaft of her weapon. Lightning coursed through the weapon as she landed a second hit.

"Go Topaz." Citrine said to herself as she pulled out her scroll. There was no signal. There was no way to call for backup.

"Blues got some moves." Mercury fell backwards and kicked himself back up, firing wind bullets from his boots.

"I'm not surprised you don't know." Topaz said. She spun her trident around. The mist outside gathered around the window.

"Eiess, the glass." Citrine said. Eiess quickly put a blast glyph on the window. As it broke, mist filled the room.

"Looks like we got a pair of mages in here." Mercury said as the fog rolled in as thick as cookie batter.

"Where is he?" Nova said.

"You're not dealing with an average thug." Mercury's voice sent shivers down Citrine's spine. Her heart began pounding. This might have worked for Topaz, or even Nova. But Citrine was blind down here. She was blind and hurt and scared.

"Kuso!" Nova fumed.

"I'm a master assassin." Citrine felt a wind behind her. She swung around with her shield to bash him. Her weapon went right through the after-image. She then felt the metal clad boot bash her over the head. Her face hit the grimy damp floor of the warehouse. Pools of water had begun gathering on the floor.

Citrine felt something grab her leg and pull. Her heart skipped a beat and she nearly screamed. But, her mind rationalized it as Nova's hook. She was pulled out into the streets. Topaz had all the fog condensed into the building. Eiess flicked her wrist and cast an electric shot into the warehouse, setting sparks throughout the mist.

Mercury rushed out of the fog. Citrine got in front of him and he kicked her shield. HE landed on his back and began spinning around, firing his guns into the air. Citrine didn't need to be the daughter of a maiden to know what he was doing. She had heard about this technique from many people. Everyone from her mom, to Weiss, to Professor Ren had demonstrated how dust can be manipulated by aura. That's exactly what he was doing.

A hundred wind bullets sailed towards the group all at once. Nova was the first to react, blocking them with her bullets. Topaz got the worst of it and was slammed into the ground by the barrage. Eiess put up a repulse glyph that took care of a few before succumbing to the torrent. Citrine managed to outpace them and circled around. She transformed her weapon into its scythe form.

"Got'cha." She said as the crescent blade went to his neck. Citrine fired behind herself, expecting resistance that never came. Mercury had managed to avoid the strike. Having overcompensated, Citrine flew into the side of a building. But Mercury had stepped back into Nova's assault. She landed both her blades on his shoulders and scissored them to his neck.

"Shin, yaro." Nova said as she tried stabbing him. He caught her blade and elbowed her face. Topaz lunged at him. As he dodged, she struck him with a dark ball of water. In the night sky, the ball was practically invisible.

"That explains it." Mercury said. "You're an Azul."

"That's right you bastard." Topaz gleamed as the powerful orb struck him again. The water ball was bouncing around, making it impossible to avoid. "And this technique was designed just for people like you."

"Is that so?" Mercury had mixed success at outpacing it. He quickly cut his losses and went to the caster. Eiess got in the way and blocked his first kick. Citrine barreled down at him. He took a single step backward to dodge the scythe strike and hopped onto it before Citrine could fire. He did a backflip as Eiess lunged for him. As soon as he landed, Topaz connected another hit with her water ball.

Citrine struggled to stay on her feet. She knew she was at her limit. Mercury was toying with them at this point. The only one who was even able to keep up was Topaz. Nova, bless her heart, was still throwing everything she had at him. She threw down some smoke pellets and threw a clone down at him. He took the lumps and dished them back out.

This is what a real fighter looked like. In all the records, Mercury was the second strongest fighter in the Chaos Syndicate. He was second only to Cinder in terms of power. And what records existed from their brief stay as Haven students, indicated he was stronger than her up until she became the Fall Maiden.

He dropped to his back and blocked Nova's blade staff and Topaz's trident with his feet. He kicked upwards and spun on his hands, knocking them both away. Eiess took another precise swing at him, boosted with time dilation. Even with her enhanced speed, he dodged each one casually and even gave a bow before punching her in the stomach.

"It's been fun kids." Mercury said. "But it's time I bid you adieu." He dashed forward and grabbed Citrine by the back on the neck. Citrine flung her elbow back only to take a strike to her gut. Everything went blurry as the wind left her lungs. "But the little Argentware is more than enough to get a prisoner exchange."

"Get your hands off her!" Eiess yelled as she ran forward. A strange glyph appeared behind her as she ran. Topaz and Nova raced behind her. Nova's fists were clenched and Topaz gathered water around her body. Eiess swung for him and he merely squatted down and kicked her stomach. The glyph expanded and a white claw appeared and hit Mercury. He and Citrine both tumbled to the ground.

Mercury vaulted up and kicked Topaz and Nova in the face. Citrine struggled to her feet but then Mercury grabbed her again. Mercury started making a run for it. Everything started going dark for Citrine as she succumbed to her injuries and lack of aura. Then a radiant gold light flew from behind Mercury.

Citrine hit the ground as the fire ball smashed into Mercury. Yang stood between her and the disgruntled Mercury. Yang's ursa mask was on and her gauntlets were in ready position. Fire burned around her skin. She was radiating with rage.

"Keep your filthy hands off my niece." Yang said.

"I should have said the same thing when you took my son."

"Well good for you that you'll be joining him soon."

"I don't think so." Mercury leaped in the air. In an instant, Yang grabbed his foot and slammed him down to the ground.

"You're getting slow Merc." She smashed the ground where he was. The two moved at speeds Citrine couldn't process. This was what a real fight was. Two warriors evenly matched, moving at speeds the freshly initiated couldn't process. A punch here, a kick there, if not for the golden light on her aunt, Citrine wouldn't have even seen that much.

"I'm still leagues faster than you!" He kicked her across the face. She punched him in the stomach. He swept her legs and tried grappling her to the ground. She countered with an elbow, a leg block, and an arm bar.

"Don't tell me playing with the kids took the fight out of you." Yang taunted as she grabbed his hand. She decked him across the face with a punch that lit up the night sky. He kicked her stomach and spin-kicked her wrist. She punched his foot with an electric bullet. Mercury staggered for just a second, more than enough time for Yang to pick him up and body slam him.

"Oui!" Nova cheered. Eiess and Topaz helped Citrine onto his feet. Nova broke a smile for the first time all semester and Mercury and Yang pummeled each other. Because even to the amateur eye, the victor was clear. Even had Mercury not exhausted his dust supplies and taken several hits from the team, he had never officially beaten Yang. He purposely lost their match during the fortieth Vytal Festival Tournament. Yang had assistance in beating him during the battle of Mistral. She decisively beat him in the Liberation of Beacon. She had defeated him handedly in every encounter since. And those were well rested Merc's, not the straining one she fought now. The fact he lasted this long was testament to how out of the kids' league he was.

"KO!" Yang cheered as she uppercut him after his aura depleted. "You always did get weak at the knees around me. Don't let your girl find out you got pounded by me again." She put her hands on her hips. "I bet that wasn't the first time you've been fist-and you're unconscious with children around. I should probably shut my mouth."

"Aunt Yang." Citrine said. Yang walked over to her and gave her a hug. "I thought I almost lost you again." She said. She gave a light chuckle. "At least if he would have taken you, I know how I'd get you back. That's a big step up from before."

"I know." Citrine returned the hug. "How did you know we were in trouble? We couldn't call you."

"Redstone." She said as she pointed to Nova's hip. "I gave you my eye piece. There's a lot it can do. It's pretty diverse stuff but it all has to do with perception and how our mind works."

"That's really cool." Citrine said.

"Anyway, let's go home." Yang began carrying her.

"Wait, what about the others?" Nova said.

"Others?" Yang asked.

 **AN: Longest chapter in the story thus far. That's what happens when I give myself time to build an action scene. Next chapter will be similarly paced and structured. But, with the other group. They might not fare as well.**


	25. Blind Side

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: Last battle heavy chapter for a little while. I would have had this done sooner but then I saw Cinder was going to be in the newest episode so I decided to wait and see if I could get any more ideas to make this fight even more awesome. That didn't work out because Emerald isn't in it.**

Chapter 25: Blind Side

Nephrite's body felt rigid in anticipation. Emerald stood casually across from the group. Ariadne had her mouth to her flute. Scotland had his weapon wheel set up and ready to go. Johnny nudged over to her side. His eyes focused on the opponent.

"Nephrite, I know you can keep up with Nova which means you work out for our team attacks." Johnny said. "And your powers of perception are virtually without peer which gives us the advantage. She can hide herself make us see things that aren't there." Emerald opened fire on the group.

"Scatter." Nephrite said as she jumped to an adjacent rooftop. "She can't trick us if she doesn't have line of sight on us." She ran around and fired her guns at Emerald. The older woman bobbed and weaved to avoid the bullets. Johnny fired his flashlight but she jumped over the beam. Johnny darted over to her.

"I need you to back me up and engage in close range." Johnny said.

"Alright." They both jumped towards Emerald. Nephrite moved to kick Emerald but she blocked it with a sickle. Ariadne started playing her flute. Wind currents formed around her and cascaded towards Emerald.

"Get her off balance." Scotland said. Nephrite kicked the villain's leg and readied an elbow but the elbow went through the visage. Nephrite then took a bullet to her shoulder and rolled back to her feet. Scotland began firing the twin canons on his pod at her.

"Where did she go?" Ariadne said.

"Anyone have line of sight?" Johnny asked.

"No." Scotland said as he loaded up another round.

"She's hiding." Johnny said.

"I thought her limit was two people." Ariadne said.

"She's not using her semblance. If she was I'd notice."

The hairs on Nephrite's neck stood straight. She spun around and fired, several bullets managed to graze Emerald as she rolled out of the way. She hooked her sickle around Scotland's weapon and slung it into Ariadne. Nephrite dashed over and slung her elbow only to be countered and slammed to the ground. Johnny aimed his flashlight at her. She quickly wrapped a chain around his arm and flung him away. Nephrite spun on her shoulder and delivered a kick to Emerald's abdomen.

Nephrite kicked herself up to her feet and jabbed with her katars. Emerald dodged each strike with great speed and precision. Nephrite pushed herself to be faster, to push Emerald back. Nephrite was gaining ground but felt like she wasn't getting anywhere.

Her motions were fluid, just like her dad had taught her. The movements of her hands and feet were as fluid as the language she spoke. One missed blow after another causing her hard-won resolve to falter. She was losing. Even though she was gaining ground she was getting exhausted. And her opponent had barely broken a sweat.

Emerald was pushed to the edge of the roof. Then she rolled out of the way of a jab. Nephrite spun and fired but Emerald had vanished. Ariadne's flute played another melody. The chime of the music echoed through the air. After several seconds of this, the blonde gave a nod and Scotland opened fire. He blasted a chunk of a building to pieces. Emerald was flung into the air. Johnny fired his blast as she tossed in the sky. Emerald barely evaded it as she grappled back onto the roof.

Emerald vanished from Nephrite's line of sight. Johnny ran over to Nephrite and they stood back to back. Scotland and Ariadne did the same on the other side. Nephrite spotted Emerald and fired, but it was an illusion. Emerald's popped up and vanished all around them.

"She's trying to get us to use up our dust." Johnny said. "Ariadne found her through sound last time and Scotland nailed her. She took the hit hard and is now on guard."

"She's an evasive fighter. Not direct like her partner." Nephrite responded.

"The fact we split them up is paramount to our victory. Even if it was eight on two, their powers combined would be too much for us."

"And were we the ones fighting Mercury it wouldn't be as advantageous. Ariadne's not a combat type and Scotland's weapon is too heavy to be affective against him."

"That's why I wanted you here. I know that if you calm your mind, you can see things as I can." Johnny noted. "Even better because your semblance is aura control based. Your observations are direct ones."

"Speaking of which…I never learned what your semblance is." Nephrite pondered. Emerald ran at her.

"Wait." Johnny said. Nephrite tensed up. For a second, she saw the world's aura. She saw the empty cloud of aura of her attacker. It lacked substance. She let the illusion strike her, and it did nothing. "Take deep breaths. Just like your father said."

"She's hiding." Nephrite said.

"She's smart when it comes to this stuff." Johnny said. "She's waiting for a perfect opportunity. This gives us the advantage." He nudged her.

Nephrite quieted her mind. Her eyes were closed and her mind drifted to the clouds. Her aura and semblance worked as one to feel everything around her. She saw the green haze overtaking the rooftop. It was cone shaped. Nephrite pondered if this was Emerald's line of sight. She drifted her silent attention to the point of the cone, which was rapidly approaching.

"Scot, look out." Nephrite said.

Emerald appeared from above and stabbed Scotland in the chest with her weapon. Scotland fired but missed as she hooked around him. Ariadne threw a kick at the thief. Emerald twirled around, slamming Scotland to the ground and sweeping Ariadne's legs. Scotland's weapon folded into a briefcase as he took a swing at her. That Emerald disappeared and was replaced by one that was on Ariadne's other side.

Nephrite leaped in with an unsuccessful kick. Johnny was right behind her and blocked a strike from Emerald. Emerald spun around with her weapons extended. Johnny held his ground and evaded her attacks.

"You've got some good moves kid." Emerald said. "It's no wonder you were able to keep up with Jet."

"It's about all I'm good for." He spun to his knees and aimed his weapon. She moved to evade. "Close your eyes!" Nephrite didn't question it when she saw him aim his light at the ground.

Nephrite closed her eyes but enhanced her feelings with her powers. Nothing happened for a few seconds. Emerald must have closed her eyes too. Nephrite could feel everything that happened. Johnny elbowed Emerald. Emerald opened her eyes. Johnny blasted the ground. The night sky was lit ablaze from his aura and the dust in his weapon. Emerald back peddled as Johnny advanced. The whole area had become clouded with light. Even Nephrite's senses couldn't make much of it at this point.

She focused on her other senses. She could hear gunfire. She heard the battle going on below. She could smell the mist rolling around behind her. She got brief glimpses of Topaz's semblance stretching around. Nephrite focused back on the battle at hand. She could hear Emerald running. As the light faded, Nephrite opened her eyes.

Johnny was two rooftops away. As was Emerald. Both looked exhausted. Nephrite ran for him and joined his side. His eyes were focused. Nephrite recomposed herself and tried going into her Zen state and keeping it up. It was the only way she'd keep up with these two.

"Alright…you're really good kid."

"Thieves like you are taught to use the shadows. I was taught in very much the same way. But I was taught to use the light. Even when the light is blinding, there are few things that slip through my vision.

Nephrite could feel them all. Emerald's aura was a light green. It poured from her body like a cone. Everything in the cone's reach was at risk of her semblances power. If Nephrite could keep this up, she should be able to tell when Emerald uses her semblance and who she's affecting. Ariadne's aura twisted with a leaf green. Scotland's was an industrial red. Johnny's looked strange. It glimmered from his body with flecks of gold and stems of white. But the aura itself was brown like his hoodie.

Ariadne played another song on her flute. Her twisting aura spiraled through the air as if it her looking for something. Emerald made her move. The cone of aura darkened around all four of them.

"Fall back." Nephrite said. She jumped out of the way of a strike that left a gash in the roof. Emerald reeled back and kicked her in the stomach. Her aura sight broke on impact. She hit the ground hard. Emerald ran for her then vanished. She reappeared by Johnny and struck his face.

"Johnny." Nephrite said. Scotland peppered the rooftops with canon fire. Nephrite and Johnny stayed adown as the dust bullets flew over their heads. Emerald avoided the attack only to be intercepted by a flock of seagulls.

"Get off me." Emerald murdered the birds and kept moving towards Johnny. Scotland cut her off with a wall of hellfire.

"She's blinding all four of us." Nephrite said.

"Damn." Emerald said. She vanished and an instant later had a chain wrapped around Nephrite's throat. "Your father is Lie Ren, isn't he? Should have figured. Haven't spent a lot of time with him but I know he's the kind of guy who doesn't let his eyes deceive him.

"Neither am I." Johnny blasted his weapon to her right. It hit the real Emerald and slammed her into a building.

"Alright then." Emerald smiled. "No tricks. The jig is apparently up." She moved blindingly fast. She swung both of her weapons outward into Johnny. His aura broke and he was thrown ino the next building where he crashed through a window.

"Johnny!" Scotland said.

"Playtime's over." Emerald ran towards him. He fired his canons and ordinances. She dodged and blocked them all, even cutting an artillery shell in half. "It's been fun." With an imperceivably fast swing she cut Scotland's weapon in half.

"What?" Scotland muttered. Ariadne called more birds and rats to her aid. Emerald extended her weapons and in three swings, killed the animals and broke both of their auras. Each swing was followed by a massive blade beam.

"Now for you." She strutted over to an exhausted Nephrite. "I know you're just kids and all so I thought I'd give you a good workout. Someday you'll be one of the defenders of this world. Maybe you'll perish to the Grimm. Maybe you won't. If all's well you'll live long enough to have kids of your own. I admire your profession. On paper, so selfless. I know I could never live my life for anyone else again. Unless she…that's not important. I'm leaving. Take care kid. Hope to see you on the flip side."

"Where do you think, you're going." Nephrite struggled back to her feet only to be kicked back down. She tried again and Emerald slashed her face, breaking her aura. Even so, Nephrite still tried standing.

"You're a tough kid. You'll go far in this world."

"And you've gone far enough."

"Okay, I get that you kids are playing hero or whatever, but why are you so persistent? I've done nothing these last twenty years except take what I need…and a little extra just to have some fun."

"Was killing those people on the train fun?"

"What are you…?" Emerald stopped. "You think we did that?"

"You've killed before." Nephrite said. "You're calling card was there at the crash site."

"Is that so?" Emerald stopped. "So, that's why. Look, you have no reason to believe me but that wasn't our doing. All we did was steal a healing gem and some dust from the train. We were asked by a penniless doctor we owed a favor to."

"And those victims?"

"That wasn't us. Someone came in behind us."

"Any ideas?"

"I have a hunch."

"Care to share?"

"Maybe in exchange for my son back. But only the headmaster could arrange such a meeting."

"If you come with us, I'm sure it can be…"

"No." Emerald sighed. "I made a promise to live my life. I promised not to get involved with that sort of thing. When you make that important of a promise to someone who…someone you care about more than anyone else…you don't break it."

"And your son?"

"He's arrogant but tough. He'll get out eventually, whether he breaks out, gets let out, or I get impatient and break him out myself. Either way, I'm keeping my promise." Emerald said. "One last thing, can't have you or your friends follow me…so nothing personal."

Emerald ran at her. Nephrite's powers kicked into high gear. She had no reason to suspect it would be a clean hit. She needed to know where the strike was. She saw the cone of energy engulf her. In a split second, she reacted and thrust her palm out. She felt the satisfying sting of flesh on flesh. Her hand hit Emerald's exposed midsection.

"Got you." Nephrite used vacuum palm to knock the wind out of the thief. Emerald staggered but the blow did nothing.

"Persistent…" Emerald went to swing at her but her hand was stopped. A stronger palm strike hit her in the back. As she dropped to her knees and was forced to submit, Nephrite dropped to her knees and gazed at her father.

"Daddy?"

"It's alright my little jade stone." Ren put a hand on her head. "Thanks to you, we got her. We got them both."

 **AN: Even longer than last time. Well done me. Too bad I couldn't have it out in a timelier manner. But at least it's not days or weeks between chapters. It's just over a day. Wow, one more chapter in this arc. Then I'm taking a small break. RWBY volume 4 finale is next week and I have a lot of videos planned for the weeks after that. I'll definitely have a chapter out on February 9** **th** **and anyone who's checked out my profile can see why.**


	26. All in Good Cheer

Remnant's Most Wanted

 **AN: Sorry this took so long to make. I've had a lot on my plate lately. With that said, this is the end of Remnant's Most Wanted. I'll be going on hiatus for this story for a while. I'll be working on Guardians of Terra and my YouTube channel. I just need to give myself some time before going into the next arc. In lieu of an author's note at the end, it'll be a little preview of what's to come.**

Chapter 26: All in Good Cheer

Topaz sat on the window sill in the lounge room where the two teams had been gathered. It was the day many of them would be going home. The semester was over and they had a month of free time before the second semester started. All in all, it was a good semester.

Citrine, Eiess and Nephrite sat on the couch. Nova stood against the wall next to Yang, who was doing the same. Prof Nora was brushing Nephrite's hair. Prof Ren was sitting cross-legged next to the couch. Scot and Ariadne were playing dominos at the table. Johnny was sitting in a chair reading a book. Headmaster Qrow was talking with Helios about the narrative of what had transpired. Topaz just sat, enjoying one last look at the lounge before she set off on her summer adventure.

Mercury and Emerald were currently in Vytal's maximum security prison. The city of Vale had no prisons for obvious reasons. Don't want to have that much negativity in a highly-populated area. As far as Topaz knew, their son was in the same prison.

The news was on, praising the eight students for finding the Chaos Syndicate. Topaz rolled her eyes. It was nothing. They got lucky and without tips from the Arbiters they wouldn't have even gotten that.

"Excuse me, full load coming through." A man said as he approached the door.

"Jaune." Ruby's voice said disapprovingly.

"Just kidding sweetie." Jaune started opening the door then it was slammed open revealing a very pregnant Ruby.

"Where's my baby?" Ruby said.

"Mom?" Citrine said.

"Ruby." Yang jogged over to her.

"Yang." Ruby gave Yang a hug.

"Nora!" Nora jumped between them and gave Ruby and Jaune a big hug. Citrine jogged over to her.

"Ready to go darling?" Jaune said.

"Yep." Citrine gave a quick nod.

"Ruby, stick around for a bit kiddo." Qrow said.

"Yeah, kick back and relax." Yang said. "I know Patch ain't far but you look like you're about to explode."

"Spare me the pregnancy jokes." Ruby said. "I get enough of that from Jaune."

"Where're the others?" Citrine asked.

"I sent them to Ren's house." Jaune said. "We're going to have dinner there before we head out." He helped Ruby onto the couch. Nephrite got up and joined her father. Citrine sat on the floor in front of her mom.

"Hey Eiess." Ruby said as she wrapped an arm around the younger girl. "Waiting on your dad?"

"Yeah." Eiess sighed.

"I was talking with your mom earlier, she said you can stay with me for the last week of break. I'd love it if you'd join. It would be lovely to have another pair of capable hands around the house after the baby is born."

"I'd be honored." Eiess failed to hide her excitement.

"Of course, Topaz and Nephrite are invited to stay whenever they want." Jaune sat on the other side of Eiess.

"Well, I wish I could talk more." Helios said. "But with this Chaos Syndicate business taken care of, it's time I returned to Atlas."

"Sorry, we couldn't make it sooner." Ruby said. She extended her arms so Helios could walk over and give her a quick hug. "Tell Penny and Rubrum I said high and that they should get out of the lab sometime."

"I'll do that." Helios chuckled. He parted ways.

"So, Nova, what're you planning on doing?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, um…I was…" She averted Ruby's gaze. "My dad wants me to come home but…I was thinking about staying here. My mom is still in Dragna and my dad is…well if he wants to see me there's nothing I could do. It's just…my team doesn't have anywhere to go. And I don't want to go all the way back to Vacuo only to spend a week there and have to start the journey back."

"That's a similar boat to what I'm in." Topaz said. "We're just going to cruise around the northwest coast of Sanus. Hit up some small villages. Get some real world huntsman experience. Stuff like that."

"Oh that sounds awesome!" Nova and Citrine said.

"I wish my dad wasn't such a stick in the mud." Nova said.

"Can we do that?" Citrine asked her parents.

"Someday for sure." Ruby said. "But I'm not exactly up for a hunt either."

"Dad can take me." Citrine argued.

"Absolutely not." Ruby said. "I am not having you two run off on some heroes journey without me, leaving me all alone with all these kids." Ruby scorned. Citrine failed with the puppy-dog look. She then put a hand on her mother's stomach.

"This'll be little sibling number four for me." Citrine said.

"That's right."

"Huh, I think I felt it kick." Citrine laughed.

"I want to feel." Eiess put a hand on Ruby's stomach. The two hands gently brushed against each other trying to feel the kick.

"All my babies have been big kickers." Ruby said.

"I was too young to remember Nick being born." Eiess blushed.

"Your mother was so happy." Ruby said. "She loved you dearly from the first moment she found out about you but…there was also a lot of fear. She wasn't sure she'd be a good mother. Consider that she found out after some thug beat her up and the siege of Vale was right around that time and her relationship with your father was in a weird place."

"It was?"

"She never told you?"

"She told me about that Phos woman and how she nearly lost me before she had me…but she never said her and my father were on anything but great terms."

"Oh…" Ruby said. Topaz didn't miss the look Yang gave her younger sister. "Rose-tinted glasses I guess. Your father did a lot to help after that. One time she even told me that Flynt being there when and how he was, is why they stayed together and why they're still together."

"I guess that makes sense." Eiess said. Her scroll started ringing. "My ride is here."

"Whose picking you up?" Jaune asked.

"My aunt." Eiess said. "She had business with Qrow so she swung by to pick me up. Saves my mom the trip."

"Well don't be a stranger." Ruby gave her a kiss on the cheek. "When you come by, I expect your mom to take a break and spend some time with me."

"I'll let her know." She gave Citrine a big long hug before grabbing her stuff.

"Let me help you." Jaune said.

"It's not necessary." Eiess said.

"I know but let me help anyway. It's been a while since I've seen Winter. It'll be nice to catch up for a minute."

"Alright."

"Hurry back." Ruby smacked his butt as he walked past her. Topaz's scroll rang.

"That's my ride." Topaz said. "I guess I'll see you all when the semester starts up." She took her rounds of giving her friends a final hug and a 'see you later.' One semester was down, seven more to go. If they all went like this, she'd be a hero in no time.

 **AN: Next Arc in RWBYond Generations**

 _ **Beacon Tower Office**_

 **Qrow: So, what did you need to talk about.**

 **August: All the evidence we've gathered points to a third party being behind the murders on that train.**

 **Qrow: Any idea who?**

 **August: We both know who.**

 **He puts a tapestry with the Cipher logo on it.**

 **Winter: We need a response team.**

 **Qrow: We need a plan.**

 _ **Dorm Lounge**_

 **Topaz: So, Citrine, who are you going to the dance with?**

 **Citrine: I have someone in mind.**

 **Citrine talks with Johnny.**

 **Citrine and Eiess sit alone on a rooftop, gazing at the stars.**

 **Eiess: Sometimes I wonder if I'm really worthy of the Schnee name.**

 **Citrine: Of course, you are.**

 **Eiess: You're just saying that. You don't know what it feels like to have an identity. To look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself who you are only to find out that was a lie.**

 **Citrine: What are you talking about?**

 _ **In Cipher's safehouse**_

 **Levi: I'm getting impatient Cloak!**

 **Cloak: Calm down Seerlivey…the hour of my victory is at hand.**

 **She pulls a curtain away to reveal a complex set of glyphs, machines, and crystals covering the floor, eight walls, and ceiling.**

 **Cloak: This is my project, twenty years in the making.**

 **Dagger puts his blade in a slit in the room. The glyphs start glowing every color of the rainbow. The room shifts and turns.**

 **Cloak: There was once a man whose ambitions surpassed that of any man or beast.**

 _ **Back in Beacon Tower**_

 **Oscar: What if we give them an opportunity they can't pass up.**

 **Winter: What you're suggesting is risking a crisis on the level of the Fortieth Vytal Festival Tournament.**

 **Raven: Only this time we'll be ready.**

 _ **A large stadium.**_

 **Announcer: Welcome to the First. Ever. Huntsman Games.**

 **Professor Feng: You'll be tested in the five pillars of hunting.**

 **Nemian: Wisdom**

 **Felix: Survival**

 **Rubrum: Ingenuity**

 **Ruby (lifts fist in the air): Valor!**

 **Neptune: Strength.**

 **Eiess: Wait…that's…**

 **Citrine, Nova, Johnny and a girl with dark-green hair and red eyes stand against a team with a cyborg, a Faunas, a guy with goggles and a guy with a long sword.**

 **Qrow: You're some of the best and brightest.**

 **The cyborg fires on all cylinders and Johnny ducks under the kick.**

 **Yang: Your mother is proud of you.**

 **Ruby: What exactly have you been doing? What is so damn important that you always leave?**

 **Blake looks at her with a sad expression. She opens her mouth to answer.**


	27. The Schnee Manor's Manner

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: And on this day, the one year anniversary of RWBYond Vale, the next arc of the new generation begins. This one is a doozy. Seriously, you have no idea how much work went into all the characters and stuff. I'm still not sure I'm ready for this. On a side note, there was a goof with a character's name. I wrote down two names for two different characters…then mixed up which one was supposed to be which. I corrected it sometime ago, but this is the first time it's been relevant. Weiss' canon grandfather is Nicholas not Christopher as I had written down.**

Chapter 27: The Schnee Manor's Manner

Levi warped onto the balcony of the elaborate manor built into one of the many mountains that comprised Atlas' topography. The blistering winds of the ever-present winter held little effect for the silver knight. They were here on a mission. One last thing that Cloak needed for her little project. The translation stone, and a book on how to use it. Both would be in Schnee Manor, which was primarily a museum. Weiss Schnee thought it more productive to spend nights in hotels and her office than in the barren halls of her childhood home.

Levi didn't think any less of the excess. He and Weiss had that much in common, a constant fight against their own legacy. Only Weiss fought against the generation or two that preceded her. Levi fought against thousands of years of a lie called hope.

Cloak slipped a key into her hand and unlocked the sliding glass door. Isabella had scouted the location out weeks earlier. She had found the stone easy enough. The book would take more work. It was in the listings, but getting into the Schnee personal library had proven too daunting of a task for the good doctor.

"You go for the stone." Cloak said. "I'll find the book." She vanished with a distortion of the air. Levi used his suit to turn invisible. He crept along the floor. There were numerous guards on duty, and most of them protected the museum wings. In other words, Levi was given the most taxing job. Typical of Cloak, her confidence in him was far from unfounded. But it did feel like he was stuck doing all the work.

He came across a pair of guards watching over the door to his destination. If Briggs was doing his job, he was meticulously monitoring the camera's and altering the footage to keep security from getting suspicious. So, as long as Levi kept quiet, he was fine. In a blur, he rushed the guards and knocked them out in one fluid motion.

"Well done sir." Briggs called.

"How close is Cloak?"

"Could be a while. The Schnees are meticulous but the manuscript doesn't exactly fall into any conventional organizational patterns."

"English?"

"They wouldn't know where to put it."

"Sometimes I think you try to act smart." Levi opened the door. "But my mother always said, you don't understand something until you can explain it to a child."

"That's surprisingly deep coming from you." Briggs said. Levi ignored his remark. He was still on a mission. The objective was in his sight. No one knew where the translation stone came from. Only that it had been in Ozpin's vault for quite some time.

Carefully, he disabled the alarms. He blocked the lasers with mirrors. He pulled a small device from his side that cut the glass without activating the pressure sensors. It took a few minutes to remove the glass. But it was worth it. As he held the stone, he could feel its power on his mind.

"What are you doing?" A child asked. The only thing that kept Levi from firing his gun was the fact it was a child.

"Briggs." Levi growled.

"I, I was too busy feeding the false video that I wasn't checking the real footage." Briggs made excuses.

"Who are you?" The child said. Levi turned towards him. He had white hair and charcoal eyes.

"Levi, do something." Briggs groaned. "Just lie to him. He's ten, ten-year-olds are dumb."

"I'm an old friend of your mothers." Levi said. He dashed behind the kid and gave him a swift chop to the knockout spot.

"Or just knock him out. That works too." Briggs said. As the kid hit the floor a glyph appeared.

"Shit." Levi jumped in the air as the blast glyph went off.

"What the hell did you do?" Briggs asked.

"His semblance must have activated." Levi snarled. A trio of guards burst into the room only to have a bullet to the head waiting for each of them. It took a second for their body to catch up to the fact they were dead.

"Damn it Levi." Cloak snapped. "No matter, just distract them while I find what we're looking for."

"Can do." Levi gave a short laugh. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. Just like the train incident, Levi loved to blow off steam. "Just know that this was all Briggs' fault and these deaths are on him. He grabbed an oncoming guard and hurled him out the window. He laid a decoy that drew their fire while he flanked around and smashed them with a hammer construct. Thrashing overpaid guards was an unending source of catharsis for the Seerlivey.

"Hold it right there." A familiar voice said as Levi had a gun to a guard's head.

"Greetings detective." Levi turned to Flint. "It's been awhile since I've seen you."

"Not long enough Vile." Flint said.

"I don't think you want a piece of me."

"You think too highly of yourself." Flint activated his semblance. Levi dropped to his knees and used his semblance. Flint intercepted him with a kick to the chest. Flint blasted into his trumpet. Levi constructed a shield to stop him from being pushed back. Levi kept pushing forward.

As soon as Flint let up, Levi rocketed towards him. He shotgun kicked him in the face and tried firing his pistol. Flint kept pace with his trumpets. Bullets resonated all around him as he tried landing a clear shot. Flint spun around to his feet and flared another soundwave. He pulled the trigger on his weapon to give a short sound blast.

Levi moved with the sound wave and elbowed Flint in the jaw. He tripped the jazz player up and shot him in the chest. Flint used his semblance to avoid the killing blow but at the cost of most of his aura and a clone. He pinged Vile in the head with his trumpet. Vile blasted his knee with a shotgun kick. Just as he was about to finish him off and rid himself of one persistent nuisance, Levi felt a blast hit his chest.

"Flint!" Weiss said as she knelt over him. "I got here as fast as I could." The loyal family butler stood by her side.

"If it isn't the ice queen herself." Levi said.

"Vile." Weiss gave him a murderous glance.

"We both know what happened last time we fought."

"And I think we don't because we've never fought."

"But when I stole…"

"Phos Ferris."

"And when we kidnapped…"

"Terra Formar."

"And the subway…"

"All I did was give Ruby some support. And I was pregnant in all three instances."

"That's right, we've never fought. That's so weird. Isn't that weird detective?"

"Piss off." Flint growled.

"That's the spirit." Levi laughed.

"Klein, get Flint and Nick out of here." Weiss ordered as she raised her weapon.

"As you wish Mrs. Schnee." Klein gave a bow.

"We fight him together or not at all." Flint said.

"You can barely stand." Weiss said.

"Listen to your wife detective." Levi said. "She knows what's best for the world. I look forward to sending your head to your old leader." Levi put his guns together to form the Sword of Damocles. Klein got the kid out of the area. Flint used his semblance to boost Weiss as she covered the room in glyphs.

She darted around at speeds Levi did well to keep up with. He sliced and hacked at her. She parried and landed several glances stabs. He ducked under a slash and constructed a scythe that struck her across the chest. He used a canon construct to blast Flint into the next room. He rushed forward and brought his sword down on Flint. Weiss blocked it with the aid of a glyph.

In a flash of light, she summoned her dread knight and slammed Levi through a wall. Dozens of bolts hurled at Levi, who cut them out of the air. He dodged the titanic summoning's blade. His a large blue blade beam he cut it in half. He then felt hooks around his throat as a summoning of Emerald tossed him over. He delivered a shot gun kick to the construct, breaking it. Two more rushed in, Panic and Chrome. Levi unfolded his mask and took them out with a flash of his silver eyes.

He wasn't in time to block Weiss' assault on his legs. She planted a blast glyph on his chest sending him flying. He stopped himself on the wall and rocketed off it. She blocked him with a wall of ice. It took a second for him to cut through it. Long enough for Weiss to use time dilation and match pace with his movements.

The two swordsmen locked into a repetitious back and forth movement with their duel. Levi created his mech construct. Weiss summoned another dread-knight. Weiss gained the advantage, able to move independently of her trump card. Her rapier pierced the mech construct, narrowly missing Levi's face. If not for her lack of worthy practice, or his intense training, that would have been the end. The energy casting off the blade, blasting the construct apart was evidence of that.

Levi switched to a smaller game. He blasted the summoning with a canon blast. He spun his sword down in a deadly dance, preventing Weiss from doing anything but back pedal. He landed a kick to her sternum. He kept it light. She was better at range where she could use her mastery of dust, glyphs, and her semblance to completely control the battlefield.

"Cloak was right." Levi praised. "Ruby may be the fastest and most powerful, Yang the deadliest in prolonged combat, Blake the most balanced and well maintained fighter, but you are far and away the most troublesome brat I've ever clashed with."

Levi went to kick her but she ducked. Levi's legs both got stuck in black gravity glyphs. It didn't hold him long, but long enough to be blasted by an unrelenting lightning storm summoned through the power of dust. Levi was blasted into a completely different part of the manor. Then an onslaught of bolts and dust blasts later he found himself on the roof of one of the lower wings.

Weiss was in pursuit. She must have kept up some form of warm ups. Her stances were still maintained, even if she had lost that warrior's edge that her teammates had displayed in full force seventeen years ago, when Levi nearly tore them apart. Weiss stabbed down at him then lunged forward with indiscernible flurries of jabs.

Levi dashed around her next sequence of attacks. He constructed clones but they were obliterated by a wall of ice before they could even finish. She was working fast. Faster than Yang or Blake had done in their fights with the Seerlivey. Even Ruby did a lot of posturing. Weiss just moved from one mode to another. Never once taking her eyes off Levi. Never once losing an ounce of anger, that fury. Most people would get sloppy under these circumstances. Yang had the night Vile became known to the world, as had Ruby. Weiss was more like Jaune that night. Despite not having a serious battle since the fall of Salem, the stress…and what Levi had done…brought a focus to the Schnee CEO. Levi could see it.

Weiss pushed forward with blinding speed. She was matching him at his forte. His blade kept up but she was landing more blows then he was. Then again, it was her forte too. Levi had studied her file, and the file of her whole team, religiously for years. From the moment she could control her fingers she did two things day in and day out with seldom a break, play music and fight with a sword. In that regard, she was more experienced than Levi or even Blake who had fought her whole life.

So, Levi changed it up. With a flip, he changed back to his guns and reloaded. He fired down on her as he landed. Weiss closed the distance, no longer hindered by the Sword of Damocles. Now she had to stay close or risk being hit by a skull-round. She threw up glyph after glyph to keep pushing forward. Levi realized her strategy. She wanted to throw him off the roof and into the chasm below.

Levi continued to mix it up. He switched through constructs on the fly. Hammers, scythes, canons, drills, shields, swords, spears, even the five-pronged spear and multi-blade he picked up from his fight with Jaune. Weiss countered them the best she could but defense was not her style. Full on assault wasn't her style. And her aura had taken its toll.

Then, a trumpet blared, stopping Levi mid punch. Weiss took the chance to boost herself with time dilation. With a moon stab, she pierced Levi's armor, bypassing his defenses. His aura rushed to seal the wound as the blade left his chest cavity. With one last twitch, he fired his gun. The bullet ripped through Weiss' shoulder and Flint's already banged up knee. All three combatants dropped into the snow.

Levi was the first to get up. His wound nearly completely healed already. The fine blade had pricked him like a needle, but all the way through. Gunships and sirens sounded all around. Undoubtedly, Winter Schnee would be with them. And that's one opponent Levi did not want to face in his current condition. Maybe some other time. It would be interesting to learn which of the sisters was more powerful. Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"We're leaving." Cloak said. "Now."

 **AN: Guess who's back. So yes, Nicholas is the name of Weiss' son because of her canon grandfather, which is still maternal but yeah I didn't see that reveal about her father coming when I started this a year ago. I mixed that up with Christopher, who…you know what…I'll save that for later. It feels good to be back.**


	28. The New Semester

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: So, for the full RWBYond experience, you now need to go to YouTube where I just uploaded "The Diary of Avis Bran." Which will have multiple parts as we go further into this series.**

Chapter 28: The New Semester

Topaz stepped back into her room. It had been a few months since she parted for high sea adventures with her parents. Said parents were sticking around town until after the family night that same weekend. It would be the last time many of the students across campus would be able to spend time with their families before the semester comes in full swing. Eiess and Nephrite were there. Nephrite sat in a meditative stance while Eiess paced around biting her nails.

"What's up?" Topaz said as she set her bag down.

"Topaz!" Eiess marched up to her then reluctantly stopped.

"Everything alright?" Topaz asked.

"Yes…no not at all." Eiess whined. "My…my…"

"Schnee Manor was attacked last night." Nephrite said.

"I should have been there. I could have…"

"You would have only gotten in the way." Nephrite cut her off.

"What exactly happened?" Topaz asked.

"I don't know!" Eiess cried. "I left home last week to spend time with the Roses. Then Klein calls me up this morning and tells me what happened. My mom and dad and brother are in the hospital and a lot of people are dead."

"Who would be crazy…and strong enough to do something like that?"

"I don't know!" Eiess sat on her bed. Topaz took the initiative and sat next to her, putting a comforting arm around her. "He said it was a burglary gone wrong."

"Is everyone alright?"

"My mom is supposed to call me later. I've been fighting calling her for hours now. And to make matters worse, my aunt isn't answering her scroll and Citrine ran off without her scroll."

"What's that about?" Topaz asked.

"She said she was going to do some training with her mom. I tried calling her after I found out and…" She lifted Citrine's scroll. "How can she be so stupid?" Eiess sulked.

"They're fine." Nephrite reassured. Mrs. Ruby may be recovering from childbirth, but she still more than a capable huntress. And Citrine is our team leader. It's importance to have confidence in her."

"And knowing her she's going to feel really terrible." Topaz added. As if on cue Citrine burst through the door.

"Eiess I'm so sorry!" She said wrapping her arms around Eiess. "I came as soon as I heard the news."

"Shut up." Eiess said. "I tried getting ahold of you."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I didn't have my scroll until after someone called my mom about what happened."

"Yeah, why didn't you just call Ruby?" Topaz pondered.

"I didn't want to intrude." Eiess bit her lip.

"It would have been better than walking a hole in the floor." Topaz said.

"I'm sorry if I made you worry." Citrine said.

"Did she tell you anything?" Eiess wiped a tear from her eye as Citrine moved to her side.

"Nothing you don't already know. I know I've never seen my mom look so mad. I also know your family is alright."

Eiess seemed to loosen up in relief as Citrine talked about her training. It was all hush-hush legendary warrior clan stuff her mother had been neglecting due to her pregnancy. Citrine now had a kid brother named Gelb Arc. He was only a week old now. Eiess had done a lot of studying with her mother and even sat in on a business meeting, which was a common occurrence for the Schnee heiress. Topaz had helped take down a sea dragon. And Nephrite had somehow put up with her obnoxious siblings the whole time.

"So, everyone ready for another semester?" Topaz asked.

"Yes." Nephrite nodded.

"Anything to get my mind off all this." Eiess sighed.

"This break was too short." Citrine said. "All I got to do was help my mom and dad around the house and babysit Argent." She laid back in her bed.

"I take it your baby brother takes after your father?" Nephrite asked.

"Yep. He's a cutie for sure." Citrine said.

"So, where's your mom now?" Eiess asked.

"She's talking with Prof Qrow and Aunt Yang." Citrine sat back up. "Anyone seen Nova? She has my game and I was hoping we could all play it."

"I've barely seen her at all." Nephrite said. "I invited her to dinner a few times but she's always blown me off."

"Wasn't her whole reason for staying on campus to spend time with her team?" Citrine asked.

"Yeah, and I've seen the rest of them around more than her." Nephrite said. "Johnny just says she's been training."

"Ooh, I'm going to call him and see if he wants to hang out." Citrine pulled out her scroll and started texting Johnny. "I'll send Nova a message too. See what she's up to."

Topaz unpacked her things while the rest of the girls talked about their activities over the break. Citrine lit up when Johnny messaged her that he was coming over. Topaz got the feeling that she just missed hanging out with the whole gang. Topaz missed them too. She wondered what Team JANS had gotten into over the break. Citrine just seemed more eager. Then again, classes would be starting back up soon, which would put a damper on any social activities.

"So, Johnny has my game." Citrine beamed. "We're meeting up in the lounge." She shot up and motioned for the team to follow. Eiess and Nephrite joined her side. Topaz fell in behind them. Eiess' head was sunken low. Citrine didn't seem to notice but Nephrite did.

"Eiess, is your family going to make it to the family night?" Nephrite asked.

"I don't know." Eiess said with a hitched breath. She clutched her scroll to her chest.

"Calm down Eiess." Citrine said. "None of them are in a coma or anything. They can make it so they will."

"I wish I had your confidence." Eiess said. They arrived in the lounge.

"Don't believe me, call your mom." Citrine wagered.

"I was told that she'd call me."

"I'm sure she'll be fine if you called her first."

"But she must be resting."

"You're asking her to talk, not to fight." Citrine laughed and poked her stomach. "What kind of mother doesn't have the strength to talk to her daughter?"

"I'll let you know when I find out." Nova said as she walked in.

"Oh, wow, I didn't mean…" Citrine back peddled.

"It's alright." Nova pulled an icepack from the fridge and put it on her face. She had bruises all over her body.

"What the hell happened to you?" Topaz asked.

"Training." Nova answered. "Johnny has your game by the way."

"I know, he's coming over to join us." Citrine said. "What kind of training were you doing."

"The kind where you see the limits of your body and try going further." Nova fumed.

"Were you training with Yang?" Citrine asked.

"Yes, she wanted to use a new method. She thought I was ready and she was right." Nova grinned.

"Looks like you got your butt kicked." Eiess said. Johnny walked in with Ariadne and Scotland at his side.

"Johnny!" Citrine dashed forward. With a bit of a blush she took a step back.

"Here's your game." Johnny handed the game to her. Citrine scattered back to the couch and popped it in.

"Come one, everyone gather around." Citrine waved for them to come over. "It's eight players so grab your scrolls and get ready for the ultimate game of ending friendships…Mega Party 8."

"Just give me a minute." Eiess said. She walked off and dialed a number in her scroll.

"What's going on with her?" Scotland asked Topaz as he took a seat.

"Her house was attacked last night." Topaz answered. "She's been worried sick about it."

"If it was a personal attack that would put us in the crosshairs." Scott noted.

"Alright mom." Eiess said. "I'll see you later. I love you. Bye."

"See?" Citrine said.

"She's coming." Eiess said.

"That's so good to hear." Citrine cheered. "Now take a seat and let's play!"

 **AN: I feel Topaz is the blandest of the new characters. I've used her primarily as the POV character for the eight-character dynamic in this story. And unlike Ariadne, doesn't have a lot of backstory to unpack later. The next few chapters, I'm looking forward to.**


	29. Family Night

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: So, this and the next two chapters were originally going to be in the previous arc, but I decided to push it back in favor of all the detective stuff in the last arc. This will also have the first time the original seven are in the same place at the same time, granted, it's only at the very end.**

Chapter 29: Family Night

Beacon campus was all abuzz with families playing carnival games and riding rides. The Roses and the Schnees had yet to arrive. Nephrite walked around, trying to gain a little bit of solace, but Chénzi and Rosaline were not letting that happen. The latter of which was strapped to her back because their parents were too busy helping run the fair.

"Sissy, sissy, win me a prize!" Chénzi cheered. He tugged on her sleeve and pointed to a massive stuffed behemoth. Nephrite could feel Rosaline gnawing on her hair. Lánméi had long since run off with her friends. If she got in trouble, Nephrite would get in trouble because she was supposed to be watching them. If anyone was confused about how Nephrite could be so calm with schoolwork and drama, just one look at this scene summed it up.

"Sorry Chénzi, we need to find Lánméi before she…" Nephrite caught Topaz out of the corner of her eye. Topaz waved to her and ran over with her family.

"Need help Neph?" Topaz asked.

"No, I'm fine…just need to find Lánméi."

"I think I saw her over with your dad." Topaz pointed in the direction of the dunking machine. Nephrite sighed. Then, Rosaline decided to bite her head.

"Ow, ow." Nephrite hissed. Chénzi pointed and laughed at the youngest Ren.

"Here." Topaz popped Rosaline off Nephrite. "Why do you want to eat your sister?" Topaz said as she shook the toddler. Rosaline just laughed and burped.

"It's like a troop of little Nora's." Rio said as he joined them.

"It's an honor to see you again Mr. and Mrs. Azul." Nephrite gave an honorable bow.

"Please just call me Rio." He said. Natalie took Rosaline and held her up.

"She's like a pint-sized Nora." Natalie noted.

"Please, just, keep them away from my ship." Rio massaged his brow.

"Nephrite!" A voice called out. Nephrite groaned as her father approached her, Lánméi in tow.

"I'm sorry father. She slipped through my fingers." Nephrite said.

"It's alright." Ren said. "Rio, Natalie." He greeted. "Come, Ruby and Jaune are on their way along with the Schnees. We should welcome them."

They all gathered around the main courtyard. Professor Qrow stood in the front with Citrine and Eiess eagerly awaiting their parents. Yang stood sat with Nova and her father Sun. Nova sat with arms crossed and eyes forward on the dock.

The airship landed. Nova shot up and joined the others in front. Weiss was the first to step out. Without saying a word, Eiess ran at her with a massive hug. Weiss laced her fingers through her daughter's hair. Ruby came next with a baby wrapped up in her arms. Jaune was right behind her with Argent. Prim dashed out of the airship behind them and quickly went ahead to where she tried to tackle Yang. Glade and Nick stepped out, both of them were occupied with their scrolls. Flint was the last to step out, aided by a pair of crutches.

"Welcome back kiddo." Qrow said as he messed Ruby's hair. It was an odd sight for Nephrite. Her parents didn't have any parental figures like that. And seeing that Ruby was now a mother of five, it was strange to hear someone call her kiddo."

"It's good to see you all again." Ruby said. Like an entourage, they moved towards the cafeteria. "So, Sun, any word on Blake?"

"No." Sun said with a sigh.

"Trust me, she'll come." Yang assured.

"So, Flint, how long until you're able to walk again." Nora asked.

"Nora I'm…" Flint sighed. "I don't think I'll ever walk right again."

"It would have almost been better if he lost his leg." Weiss mourned. "Then, we could have just built him a new one."

"Then he could have joined the cool kids." Yang beamed.

"Yang, you're forty, you are no longer aloud to call yourself a kid." Weiss said.

"Killjoy." Yang stuck her hands in her pockets. Qrow had parted ways leaving the parents and daughter, and Yang, to sit in the cafeteria. Eiess sat between Citrine and Weiss. To Weiss left was Flynt than Nicholas. Nephrite sat next to her dad and Chénzi on the opposite side. Lánméi, Rosaline and Nora filled in next. The Rens sat opposite the Roses. The Azuls sat opposite the Schnees. And on the end, was Nova, Sun and Yang.

"So, Citrine, any cute boys you're eyeing?" Yang asked.

"There better not be." Jaune groaned. Citrine's face just went red as all eyes fell on her.

"Come on Jaune, Citrine is practically an adult." Yang motioned towards the orange-clad huntress in training.

"Yeah Jaune, I was about her age when I started fancying you." Ruby poked his cheek and took the baby from him. "It's completely natural." She gave the baby a bottle. "Doesn't mean we have to approve of said boy."

"We do have that dance coming up." Nephrite noted.

"Ooh, that's right." Nora said.

"Well I think you shouldn't ask anyone." Weiss said. "Unless you're dead set on wanting to date this guy, you should wait for them to ask you." Eiess' head sunk lower. Weiss seemed to take note of this. "A lot of you come from noble family lines."

"Yeah." Ruby said. "It's been twenty years since the war, but we're all still here and still have reputations that make us out to be some sort of super-powered godlings." Ruby leaned over and smiled at Eiess.

"Which is why I use aliases when I'm out and about." Yang leaned back.

"The rest of us don't have the luxury of anonymity." Rio said. "Weiss and I have grown up in the spotlight. We had a chance to get used to it."

"Ruby, Jaune and yourself come pretty close." Natalie said. "The Arc name still held a lot of weight along the coast, especially around Lighthouse and Raven's Peak."

"Same thing with the Rose name on Patch." Jaune said. "But before the war our families were just local legends. Since then it's spread to every corner in Remnant."

"I can attest to that." Nova said. "The rest of you hang around the biggest cities and the smallest villages. Vacuo is different. We're a large city, but we also could care less about celebrities or legends. All that matters are who's strong and who's weak." She clenched her fist. "And there isn't a single person in that kingdom who doesn't sing the praises of Team RWBY."

"We did a lot of work out there." Ruby said. "A lot more than we did in Mistral at least."

"Yeah, back at Atlas it's actually Team JNPR that gets all the praise." Weiss said.

"In Atlas Academy, there's actually a mural of all of us from when we defended the school against the Black Knights."

"That's so cool!" Nova beamed.

"Most of us." Sun corrected. "I missed that particular rodeo. I think that's why things happened the way they did. Team SSSN are war heroes, we have the medals to prove it. But our contributions were much more medial. Our biggest contribution was helping the Arbiters take down Necros and his gang. So, we never had to worry about that sort of thing. But Blake, on top of being a member of Team RWBY, was the daughter of people high up in the White Fang. Even after we started the Faunas Brotherhood, there was some bad blood there. That's why she took my name, that's why Nova here is a Wukong."

"Then when we found her parents something changed." Yang said. "She had always been off, ever since the war and I can't blame her. But she's…"

"An okubyōna meinu." Nova finished. She had gotten more and more disgruntled as Sun carried on.

"Nova, language." Sun snapped.

"But it's…"

"That's still NO way to talk."

"But they don't even…" Nova tried defending but her father gave her a glare. Rightfully so. Nephrite knew what she said and she knew at least her father and Lánméi knew what that meant. The latter of which was snickering. Nephrite put a finger to her lips.

"I do, and I'm sure a few others here can get the gist of it." Sun said. Nova crossed her arms with a humph. As Nova looked around no one seemed to want to address the goliath in the room.

"I'm sure Nephrite has had quite a lot of offers." Ruby changed the subject back to the dance.

"Huh what?" Nephrite looked up.

"I mean, I remember there were a lot of people trying to be friendly with Yang and I because our dad and uncle were teachers at Signal." Ruby explained.

"Hmm." Nephrite thought about that.

"Pssh, as if." Nora blew her off. "I make it quite clear that that isn't going to work."

"Nora, I thought you of all people would push her into relationships." Jaune said.

"I am…in my own way. I'm not going to threaten or hurt any boy but I'll kid with them. If they aren't even brave enough to so much as stand up to me, they have no right trying to get into my daughter's…" Nephrite went beat red but thankfully Papa Ren saved her.

"Life." Ren cut her off.

"You should have seen the look on your face." Topaz pointed and laughed. "I've been your partner all year, and I've never seen you break composure, not even once."

Nephrite recomposed herself. She ignored her teammates and parents laughing. She knew that she didn't have any romantic feelings towards anyone. She knew Topaz had eyed a couple boys lately. She knew Nova was too fueled by anger and her drive to be strong to think about relationships. She knew Citrine had feelings for someone. She had her suspicions about Eiess.

"That's the thing." Nora poked Nephrite's cheek. "She and her daddy are the same. They're always trying so hard to stay composed. But they're human just like anyone else." Nora wrapped her arms around her kids. "And I got four examples of how Ren feels beneath the surface."

"Eww gross." Lánméi said.

The door to the cafeteria opened. Everyone turned their head to see the woman who had walked in. Her white coat hung to her ankles. She looked old and tired but Nephrite knew she was the same age as the other parents here. Nephrite felt a chill down her spine when her eyes drifted to the woman's hip, where a Grimm mask was strapped.

"Blake?" Sun stood.

"Hey." Blake answered.

 **AN: And Blake has returned. This chapter was fun, but a little stressful. So. Many. Characters. I love so many of these characters though. Next time, Blake is given a chance to explain herself. It's going to be a doozy.**


	30. A Touchy Subject

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: Welcome back. Now for the stunning if not predictable revelation on why I've portrayed Blake as such a shitty parent. It's up to you whether it's a shitty reason or people are just overreacting.**

Chapter 30: A Touchy Subject

And Eiess was just starting to calm down. Admittedly, her anxiety had less to do with what happened to her family and more with what her parting words to them were a week earlier. But that didn't matter anymore, at least not to them. Eiess would work things out. She would confide in Citrine, and the rest of her team at a more appropriate time. Right now, her heart went out to Nova. No matter how bad Eiess thought she had it, she was wise enough to know that the Faunas had it worst.

"You never called." Nova marched over to her mother. "You never came." The smack echoed across the entire room. "Anata wa nani o shite ita no? Naze?" Eiess had never seen Nova so angry.

"Nova!" Sun stood up but Yang grabbed his arm. The blonde's head was sunken low.

"Gomen…" Blake reached to cup her daughter's cheek but Nova slapped her hand away. Blake's eyes failed to meet her offspring.

"Look me in the eye and say it so they can hear you." Nova hissed.

"Nova please calm down." Ruby soothed. It seemed to work a bit. At least enough for Nova to turn back towards the table.

"Thanks Ruby." Blake said.

"I wasn't doing it for you." Ruby scowled. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

"I was late because I wanted to swing by somewhere and pick someone up." Blake said. An older cat-Faunas stepped forward.

"Where's my grandbaby?" She beamed while holding her arms out. Nova shot daggers at Blake and turned to her grandmother.

"Hey g-ma." Nova said. She darted over and gave the older woman a hug.

"You've gotten so big." Kali mused. "It's been too long. Sorry your grandfather wasn't able to come."

"I understand." Nova said. "He's busy with Menagerie stuff." Nova broke from her hug and looked at her mother, who gave her a smile. Nova frowned. "This doesn't change anything."

"Nova…" Kali tried to sooth.

"This is a good reason to be late for today but…what about last week? What about my entire break? What about my first semester, my birthday? Huh Mom?" Her voice was rising.

"You need to calm…" Yang tried interjecting.

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Nova snapped back. "Did you know Eiess mom got shot a few days ago? And She's. Still. Here!"

"You're too young to understand." Blake defended.

"Then explain it to me like I'm a five-year-old." Nova said.

"She's right." Ruby stood up, cradling her newborn. "Nova has every right to be angry. Her whole life you've been running in and out without so much as a call. Well, if you haven't noticed, your daughter is growing up fast." Ruby sighed. "I worry about you, we worry about you."

"They don't need to concern themselves…"

"Bullshit!" Ruby said. A silence hung over the room. Ruby Rose-Arc was never quick to anger. And as Citrine could undoubtedly attest, there was good reason for that. "All my life I've wanted to be a huntress. When I was a little girl all I ever wanted to do was spend every night in the wilds fighting monsters and saving people. I still do that. But I grew up. When Citrine was born, I had to think about what was best for her and my family. Now, though I still go on the highest-risk hunts available, I can't imagine spending so long without coming home."

"That's all fine and…" Blake was cut off once again.

"Why?" Ruby said. Her voice edging between soothing and degrading. "What is so damn important that you leave your family behind."

All eyes were on Blake. Most of them curious. Yang, Sun and Kali looked at her longingly. Nova had a fire in her eyes. Eiess just looked at her mother, trying to get a read for where this was going. Everyone else looked as lost as she was.

"What do you know about Levi Seerlivey?" Blake said. A pregnant silence infected the room. All the adults hung their head low. Eiess raised an eyebrow and looked at her mother.

"Jaune, hold Gelb." Ruby handed the infant and started to walk off. The huntress massaged her temples and muttered something under her breath.

"Ruby I know you're…" Blake was cut off by the sound of thunder crushing her. A red streak blasted her through a wall. Ruby pulled Blake up by the collar. A white light burned in her eyes.

"Are you insane!" Ruby screamed.

"Ruby…" Yang started towards the pair.

"And you knew!" She snapped at Yang. "What the hell is wrong with you? The both of you!" She focused in on Blake. "Do you even care? Do you even care that he'd kill you just for the inconvenience? Do you know that he's the one who shot Weiss and Flint just for getting in his way when he was stealing from them? Do you even care that I'M one of the only people who can stand up to him, that can stop him?"

"Mom." Eiess looked to her mother for confirmation. All she got was a nod.

"You shouldn't have to." Blake said.

"You have absolutely no right to tell me what I am responsible for." Ruby smacked her. "It's me he's wanted. He burned down MY home, kidnapped MY daughter, killed MY father."

"Wait." Citrine said. Jaune put a hand on her shoulder.

"Levi Seerlivey, is the real name of Vile, the Cipher Commander." Jaune said. Eiess nodded in understanding. Vile was responsible for the Siege of Vale.

"You've already done so much for this world." Blake argued.

"And I will continue to do so, so long as I am able." Ruby tossed her back down. "I can't believe you…the both of you…" She looked at Yang. "After everything we've been through and you keep this from me."

"It's not like that. My mom assigned August to track down Cipher after what happened seventeen years ago." Yang argued. "I just wanted to help him out and yes…maybe finish what I nearly did that night. Blake decided to help, to become an Arbiter of Truth."

"And that's an excuse?" Ruby scowled. The light in her eyes had begun to fade.

"Please…Cipher took my parents when I was little. They're planning something and whatever it is, it involves the Faunas. I couldn't just sit back and wait for him to do the same to Nova or Sun."

"Did you…did you think for a second?" Ruby face-palmed. "He knows all of us. You think taking the fight to him was going to change anything? Did you consider that if he wanted to, he could have just gone to your house and killed your family while you were out chasing ghosts?"

"I knew they'd be safe." Blake said.

"And did you even think what would have happened to them if you never made it? How devastated we'd all be if he killed you. Even so, Yang still always finds time with her family." She looked to her sister. "You made a promise to me, that you wouldn't abandon us, that you wouldn't become Raven. So, you let Blake, your best friend, go down that path."

"It's not that bad." Yang said. "And yes, I do understand how Nova feels. That's why I train her, I try to be there the same way Summer and Qrow were there for me. But Blake isn't selfish. She didn't leave because a family was an inconvenience. She left because it was the only way to try to beat Cipher. If you knew everything we know, about Cipher, about their founder, you'd be right there with us!"

Gelb started crying, breaking the tension in the room. Ruby walked over to her youngest and caressed his cheek with kisses while Jaune held him. Citrine tried putting a hand on Nova's shoulder to comfort her. But Nova's eyes were no longer that of anger. They were trained on Ruby. Eiess saw something different then what she had before.

"No. I wouldn't." Ruby said. "Jaune, can you go change his diaper and get him ready for a nap?"

"Yes darling." Jaune said.

"Thank you." She gave her husband a sweet kiss and started to walk off. "Your daughter is right. You are a coward. You're too scared that you were going to screw things up as a parent, that you purposely screwed them up. I don't know if you'll ever repair it." Ruby left the room.

"Nova I'm so…" Blake reached out with a tear in her eye. Nova stood up and walked off. Blake tried chasing after her. Sun grabbed her by the wrist.

"Let her go." Sun said. "She'll come around. She always does when she's with them." He pulled her close. "I think you forget the impact Ruby continues to have. In Nova's mind, Ruby is the pennacle of strength and kindness both as a huntress and a mother." Blake wrapped her arms around Sun. "I understand why you wouldn't tell Nova. But why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd come after me." Blake sobbed. "I couldn't risk you coming after me…and bringing Nova into danger. It was better for you to not know."

Eiess put her head to her hands. She thought about her own lot in life. She thought about her own dependent relationship with her parents and Citrine's. They were supposed to be like a family. So, this was how families fought. And that light, the one that burned in Ruby's eyes, was the same as Citrine the night the Grimm attacked.

"Just what is going on?" Eiess sighed.

"It's a complicated business." Weiss said as she downed a glass of liquor. "But Ruby is absolutely right. Furthermore…Levi Seerlivey…is an Argentware…a silver eyed warrior." Eiess gasp and looked at Citrine. "However distantly…he is Ruby's family. Not Blake's."

"But if Mrs. Blake was really trying to stop some disaster then…"

"That's up for those close to her to decide. History seldom cares about the household that heroes lead." She poured herself another glass.

"This could have gone better." Yang took a seat. Jaune and the younger siblings walked off, as did the Ren's and the Azul's. All that was left were Blake, Sun, Yang, the Schnees and Citrine.

"What did you think was going to happen?" Weiss asked. Yang took out a flask and took a long drink from it.

"I wasn't expecting Blake to be thrown through a wall." Yang said. "Chewed out, and yelled at, absolutely."

"If that's how mad my mom is…imagine how Nova must feel." Citrine said. She stood up and grabbed Eiess' hand. "We should go and talk to her."

"Agreed." Eiess smiled as she stood up.

"Be back by five." Weiss said. "I'm wanting to take you all out to that new movie."

"Sure thing Mrs. Schnee." Citrine said with a salute.

 **AN: So, Blake is an Arbiter. That was planned pretty early on. And it all has to do with what Vile told her in RWBYond War and what they found out on that little RWBYond the Sea story I did. I may have come down too harshly on Blake, but as I write this, Yang is the one I'm really mad at. This could have been avoided if not for her particular brand of sisterhood.**


	31. Idol

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: So, I've been excited for this chapter. So much so that I included a bit of it in the first preview I did for this story, the one for Remnant's Most Wanted. It's also a big declaration of purpose for one of the characters.**

Chapter 31: Idol

Nova had trouble keeping up with her target. Granted, she had a head start. They both needed to clear their heads. What pissed her off the most was the guilt on Blake's face. She wasn't happy or excited, not like the other parents were. She was scared, a coward. She wanted to make excuses instead of owning up to what she had done. Well Kanojo o okasu!

There was no excuse. Reason, sure, but there was no excuse. Had she apologized, and actually looked like she regretted it, Nova would still be mad but willing to deal with her. But Nova had seen that look before. She had seen it every time her mom came home. And no matter how much Nova cried, no matter how much her father begged, she'd run off again. And Yang knew why!

Nova punched a tree at that thought. She trusted Yang, more than any adult. Yang was supposed to be her mentor, her friend, her confidant. She was supposed to be the one who sang her to sleep whenever her parents were away. She was supposed to be the one that pushed her, then tucked her in when she was tuckered out. But that was a lie! She was just making up for the fact that she willingly lied about Blake every day.

Well Nova was done with it. She was done with Blake and Yang. There was only one adult she could trust now. Deep down, Nova knew she was the only one who could be trusted. Someone who called her daughter every night she could. Someone who had so much love in her heart that she felt she needed to just keep adding kids. Someone so strong and so kind that she changed the entire world.

"MRS. RUBY!" Nova had finally caught up. She breathed heavily as she stared at the flowing red cloak.

"Hey Nova." Ruby sighed. "You should go back. You never know when she'll have to leave again."

"I don't care anymore." Nova put her foot down. "Mrs. Ruby…I've wanted to ask you for a while now but couldn't. I lived too far for too long."

"What is it?" Ruby turned her head. Nova swallowed hard and clenched her fist. She didn't want to sound angry. She buried all the emotions she felt towards Blake and Yang. She focused on her own admiration for the woman in front of her.

"I want you to train me!" Nova said resolutely as she bowed towards the ground. She kept her eyes to the ground, waiting for a response.

"Me?" Ruby said meekly. She then started to laugh.

"Please Mrs. Ruby!" Nova begged.

"Why do you want me as a teacher?" Ruby wiped a tear from her eye. Nova's heart sunk. Mrs. Ruby had laughed at her. That thought nearly destroyed her, and shattered her confidence. No, Nova's mind rationalized, she would never be so cold…or would she.

"Y-you…you're the greatest huntress…to ever live." Nova dropped to her knees to grovel. "I want to be just like you! I've wanted to be like you my whole life. You're my hero, the reason I want to be a huntress. I want to be strong like you!" Nova screamed out as she clenched her eyes shut.

"Nova…" Ruby put a hand on Nova's shoulder and the other one on her cheek. "I'm flattered, truly I am." Ruby kissed the top of her head and started to walk off. "But I can't train you."

"Mrs. Ruby I'm begging you!"

"And you shouldn't." Ruby said. "Stand up. You are Nova Wukong. You are your father's daughter, stubbornness and pride. There's no reason for you to bow to me like this."

"But it's the only way…"

"No, it isn't." Ruby's voice was soothing. "In fact, it's not a way at all." Nova stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I want…I need you to train me."

"No, you don't." Ruby assured. "I'm not a teacher. I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"But Citrine…"

"Uses the same weapon, semblance and special abilities I have." Ruby explained. "You may be surprised to hear that I was actually a terrible student. And I don't have it in me to train. I'm too soft. I could never push you the way you need…" Ruby looked her over. "The way you want to be pushed." Ruby kept walking.

"I'm not taking no for an answer." Nova chased after her.

"Isn't Yang your mentor?"

"Screw her." Nova stomped her foot. "It's like you said. She knew exactly what my mom was doing and helped her."

"Give it time. You'll forgive them…so long as they put in the effort." Ruby walked off again.

"I'm not giving this up." Nova said. "I don't care what you think of yourself. I know you're the greatest. Were you to have a student they'd become great too." Ruby turned towards her. They were in a clearing now. The clearing was between the tree line and a small plateau.

"You're really not giving this up." Ruby smiled. "Very well. Since we're both upset at my sister, how about a little spar. If you're able to land a single blow, I'll train you. It won't be regularly, I'm a mother of five first, then a huntress and wife."

"I understand." Nova's spirit lifted for the first time all day. She couldn't control the nodding of her head. Ruby giggled at the display.

"Alright ready?" Ruby said. Nova drew her weapons.

"I'm ready." She said. "What about your weapons?"

"We'll see if I need it." Ruby smiled as she put her hood up. This was happening, a sparring match with her idol.

Nova leaped into action and brought Jumelle Buteur down on the huntress. She landed in a cloud of rose petals. Her eyes darted around until she saw the red streak. It flanked her right. Nova swung accordingly but it was just an after image. Nova pivoted her foot as Ruby stopped. She spun her swords around trying to trap the older woman. Ruby backed up from the attacks. Nova tried herding her to the wall where she wouldn't be able to back away any more.

Before she got close to the rock wall, Ruby used her semblance to scatter around Nova. Nova spun around and fired her gun. Ruby easily dodged all the bullets and refused to be consistent making a prediction impossible. Nova fired her grappling hook to rocket towards her. She missed the lunging strike. She spun around midair and flung a net of blade beams at her target. But Ruby managed to avoid that too.

Nova grappled to the top of the plateau. Her eyes scanned the ground beneath her until she found her target. She flailed blade beams, fired bullets, and flung smoke bombs all over the immediate area. She fired her guns behind to propel herself towards Ruby, only to find she had scattered away.

She summoned a clone to throw her towards where Ruby was reforming. The older woman simply ducked under the kick and rolled away from the sword swings. Nova planted her foot and swung at Ruby again and missed again.

"This isn't exactly fun!" Nova said. "All you're doing is dodging. I want to see what you can…" The hairs on Nova's neck stood on end. She spun around and saw Ruby's hand flying towards her face. Ruby's eyes glowing that same white light from before, but this time it was outlined in green. Nova's life flashed before her eyes. Then the hand stopped just short of her forehead. Ruby's middle finger pressed against the thumb, ready to flick. The wind from the punch blasted around her. The sound of obliterating rock echoed behind her.

Ruby paused for a moment. Nova took action and swung at her. She didn't know what she was aiming at. Her face still traumatized by the sheer amount of power behind the goddess that showed mercy to her. Without moving her face, her eyes registered what she'd done. Her blade was firmly in Ruby's grip. The huntress was smiling.

"Good job." Ruby flicked her on the head. Nova's aura plummeted in half as she bounced along the ground. She slammed her sword through the ground to stop her motion. In the blink of an eye, she felt the blade against her neck. "It's over." Ruby declared. Nova's eyes glanced down at the legendary weapon. It was the first time she had seen Crescent Rose fully extended. Though, that high was dampened when Nova remembered that the sniper-scythe was broken and rebuilt following the war.

"I…" Nova was at a loss for words.

"You did good." Ruby said. "You moved well, you planned. And you didn't submit despite the terrible odds. Even at the last moment you tried to strike. That's all I could look for."

"Then I'm…" Nova dropped to her knees as she tried to contain her joy.

"Don't get your hopes too high up." Ruby took a seat and wrapped her arm around the Faunas. "I'm still not a teacher. But I'll help you when I can. So please, don't give up hope on my sister…or your mother. I know they love you with all their heart. I know you're one of Yang's favorite people. I know she wants to keep training you and you should let her. But a deal is a deal, you'll just have two drop-dead gorgeous mentors." Ruby rubbed Nova's back.

"Thank you!" Nova wrapped her arms around Ruby. "I swear I won't let you down."

"I know." Ruby cooed. "And know, that if you need anything, I'm always willing to help. So, is Citrine, and Jaune." Ruby stood up. "Let's go back." She raised her voice. "I'll take you all out. I know Weiss was wanting to catch a movie." Ruby said. "Blast it, Citrine and Eiess, you can come out of hiding, I know you're there."

Nova turned her head to the tree line. Citrine and Eiess shuffled out from behind their cover. Both looked at Ruby with looks of amazement, as they should. Nova recomposed herself and brushed the dirt off her top.

"Want do you want?" Nova said.

"We…" Citrine started. "We wanted to help you. To talk to you and let you know that no matter what, we're here for you."

"Did you see something you liked?" Ruby asked with a smirk. Eiess' mouthed the words 'amazing.' Nova looked to her right and saw the scarring on the rock face. That…could have been her had Ruby not held back.

"Will I…" Citrine stammered. "Someday will I be able to do that?"

"Not quite." Ruby said. A green fireball appeared in her hand. "There's a lot more to my powers than just being an Argentware. You'll become a great huntress, should you see it through. All of you will."

"B-but you were moving so fast it was…" Citrine stammered. "It was like that story you told me. The Untouchable Violet Rose." Ruby put a hand on her daughter's head. There was a quick look of longing as Ruby sized up Citrine, and seeing that the blonde was now taller than her mother.

"No one in recent memory has had as much control over all this power like I have." Ruby moved past the kids. "And I hope you never have to."

 **AN: Isn't that sweet? I think everyone wishes Ruby was their mom. I know Nova does. This ends the little family night part. Next chapter, the main thrust of this arc will be introduced. And there's going to be some more character moments, because this story is definitely more focused on friendship where RWBYond Vale was more focused on action.**


	32. Everybody Talks

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: Ha, ha, this chapter is upon us. I wonder if I should change one of the tags to romance sense it's had a bigger focus on relationships than RWBYond Vale did by this point. I've definitely gotten myself in the mood for this one.**

Chapter 32: Everybody Talks

Citrine had just gotten done with a sparring match against Nova. Ever since her mom decided to train the both of them, they've spent a lot of time sparring with each other. Nova was strong, really strong, in a no-holds-barred fight Citrine doubted she could get the advantage on her. Citrine was faster and had better defense thanks to her shield. That is the only thing that had allowed her to win as much as she did, which was sixty percent of the time.

Both girls had taken quick showers in opposite stalls. Citrine had tried singing but Nova got annoyed so she stopped. Citrine was in a good mood. She always was after a good fight, to which Nova was a consistent supplier of. As she ended the shower and dried off and changed into her clothes she engaged Nova in serious small talk.

"So, Nova, going to the dance next week?" Citrine asked.

"Probably." Nova shrugged as she emerged from the shower stall fully clothed. "I've got no reason not to go."

"Squeee…" Citrine squealed causing Nova to flinch. "We should all go dress shopping together."

"Don't you have like, a dozen dresses?"

"Yeah but they all fit me not anyone else. My Aunt Rouge made them for me. That reminds me do you have an eye for fashion?" Citrine looked her up and down then a smirk crossed her mind. "Nah, of course you don't."

"Wait…" Nova's face went red. "Jigoku does that mean?"

"I like how you slip in to other languages when you're pouty." Citrine patted her on the head and started to walk off.

"I do not pout." Nova said.

"Sure." Citrine extended the syllable. "Anyone in mind for the dance?"

"No." Nova said.

"You know you could tell me if there was."

"I know and there's not. I'll probably just go with my team or yours…just as friends." Nova said.

"Oh…what would happen if some boy did ask you out?" Citrine asked.

"I'd probably say no. The only guy here even worth the effort of thought is Johnny. Then again students from the other schools are going to start arriving for the festival and whatever your Professor Qrow has planned."

"Oh." Citrine's heart skipped a beat. "Johnny is pretty cool. And smart. And strong."

"He's a know-it-all with sharp eyes and quick feet. He's a pretentious smug prick who lords his abilities over others." She stopped at the vending machine at the end of the hall and got herself a can of sweet tea.

"I thought you liked that sort of thing."

"Not when it's me they're lording over."

"He's not that bad."

"He acts like he's not that bad. I don't even think he has the consciousness necessary to realize that his high-minded intellectualism pisses me off."

"Well I like him." Citrine sighed. Nova gave her a look causing her heart to skip a beat. "As a friend, of course!"

They reached the rooms right as Johnny was stepping out. He looked sleepy, like he just got up from a nap. He starred at the two girls curiously then shrugged. Citrine quickly recomposed herself and gave him a beamish smile and wave.

"Hey girls." He said. "Have fun sparring."

"Yeah." Nova said briskly, she shuffled into the room and closed the door behind her.

"I was going to get something to eat." Johnny said.

"Oh, I'll come with you." Citrine shot out. "I mean, if you want me to. I don't have anything better to do and sense you're going somewhere anyway it might be worthwhile to spend some time together. You know, leader-to-leader. Not as a date or anything unless…"

"Citrine." He cut her off. Citrine flinched and closed her eyes. "I meant like, some doughnuts from the vending machine." He said.

"Oh." Citrine sighed in relief. "Of course, that's what you meant." Part of her was a little disappointed but part of her was glad. She didn't like-like him or anything. She just thought he was a cool, strong, admittedly kind of dorky-but-in-a-cute-way looking guy.

While she thought, Johnny had gone to the vending machine and back. He now had a package of doughnuts in one hand and a bottle of soda in the other. He sat down by the door and unwrapped his snack.

"Did you want anything?" He asked.

"No, I'm good." Citrine blushed and took a seat next to him. "I was talking to Nova about the dance on our way up here."

"I believe it." Johnny took a drink of his soda. "So…" He started. This was her chance.

"Hold that thought." She scattered to the vending machine and got herself some milk and cookies. She had him wanting to say something. If she had left any other time he probably would have just gone into the room. "Alright." Citrine sat back down next to him.

"I…thought you didn't want anything." He raised an eyebrow.

"I changed my mind…and I didn't want you to spend anything on me." Just yet.

"Oh…I was going to ask what is up with you and Nova anyway?"

"She hasn't told you?"

"I don't think she likes telling me anything." He frowned. Citrine gave him a reassuring smile.

"Well, I won't tell…because I think…" Citrine thought for a minute. "That she wants to finally beat you. So, she's been doing a lot of extra training."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I just…when I see danger I instantly move out of the way. I can't help it. It's how I've gotten this far, why I've never lost. She probably thinks I'm like her mom or something."

"What? You're not at all." Citrine bit her lip. "Though…she may perceive you like that. You weren't there on family night. It…was rough on her."

"I feel sorry for her." Johnny put his elbows to his knees. Citrine brought her knees to her chest. "I've always known where I stood with my family."

"You don't talk about them much." Citrine said.

"My parents died in an accident when I was younger. Ever since I've been raised by my aunt."

"That's good." Citrine nodded. "Silver lining, right? I know that if, God forbid, something happened to my parents, my siblings and I have plenty of places to go."

"Yeah it's fine…my Aunt Rhud didn't want me to become a huntsman though. Said it was too dangerous. But I didn't want to just be stuck living a carpenter's life like my dad had."

"I understand." Citrine said. "Actually, I don't." She admitted a second later. "I've probably told you this, a thousand times. But being a huntress is the family business. Has been as long as the history books care to remember."

"Yeah. You're right."

"Well anyway…I was curious…do you have any plans for the dance?"

"I'm going. I know that much. Probably won't have an official date. I just, don't really have time for girls and even if I did I…well I…I can't…I don't know how."

"You're talking to me just fine."

"Well that's because you're my friend." Johnny said. The word echoed in her head. He didn't like her that much. That part saddened her but…on the other hand…an orange rose means love through friendship.

"Citrine." Eiess stepped out in the hallway. She looked a little distraught.

"What's up Eiess?" Citrine asked.

"Can I talk to you for a moment." Citrine could tell she was fighting fear. "Alone."

"Of course, you can." Johnny shuffled onto his feet.

"Preferably where we might not be interrupted." Eiess clarified.

"Sure thing." Citrine chugged her milk.

They walked silently to the balcony of the dorm. Citrine had heard that her father used to come up here to train back in the day. Citrine tried to think of what Eiess could be on about. Had something happened back at her house again? No, Eiess would have just called. Oh, maybe she needed advice about the dance. Citrine could see that. Eiess had never had any boyfriends. Boys tried but Eiess was raised to turn guys down until she got to a certain age, after that guys just stopped asking her out for any other reason than her name.

"Alright." Eiess muttered as she took a seat at the edge of the building. Citrine joined her, their legs dangled off the roof. "Where to begin."

"Well, let's start with what has you all worried."

"Citrine I…I wanted to tell you this so much sooner but I couldn't. I didn't want to ruin your family night and then I got wrapped up in the semester and putting it off and putting it off and putting it off."

"You're still putting it off." Citrine laughed.

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm worthy of the Schnee name."

"Of course, you are."

"You're just saying that. You don't know what it feels like to have an identity. To look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself who you are only to find out that was a lie."

"What are you talking about?"

"Why did I have to be so stupid?" Eiess curled up into a ball and clutched her head. "What was I expecting to find?" She started to sound panicked.

"Eiess, you need to calm down and tell me." Citrine rubbed her partners back.

"I…you're right. I'm…I found out my mother has been lying to me…my whole life."

"About what?"

"My…my father…isn't my biological father." A tear drop fell from her eye.

"What?"

"I had my suspicions. The fact I'm nowhere near as dark as Nick. The fact I don't look like him. Then there was that picture. But I…"

"Wait if Flint isn't your father than who is?" Citrine was catching on.

"I did a DNA test just to make sure Flint wasn't my father." Eiess explained. "But if he's not…there's only one other possibility."

"Who?" Citrine asked.

"His name is Neptune Vasilias." Eiess said. "He's a huntsman in Mistral as far as I could find." Citrine nodded.

"I've heard of him. He was on the same team as Nova's fa…" Gears shifted in her head. "That's why you picked Team SSSN for your report!"

"Yes." Eiess sighed.

"Well." Citrine put a hand on her shoulder. "I get you're mad but…if this guy has never made an attempt to be in your life that's on him. It's the same as my Aunt Yang. My grandmother raised her after her mom left."

"I don't think he knows. As far as I found…my mom had left him and got back with dad, with Flint by the time she found out she was pregnant. I…I don't even think my mother was one-hundred percent sure. When we argued, she said that she had never even bothered with DNA tests because Flint was there for me."

"And he was. He knew, right?"

"As much as she did."

"See?" Citrine pushed on her shoulder and smiled. "He still raised you and loved you without even knowing whether or not you were his. Knowingly raising someone else's child is one thing but what he did was…"

"Wonderful." Eiess admitted. "I could never thank him enough for loving me so unconditionally. Even my mom, who wouldn't be able to deny me if she wanted, wasn't there for me like he was…like he is. He taught me how to tie my shoes, ride a bike, swim, play piano. He taught me how to control my aura."

"Then what's the issue?" Citrine asked.

"Of course, you wouldn't understand." Eiess sighed as she gazed up at the stars. "All this got me really thinking about who I am and what I want." She started shaking her head.

"What is it now?" Citrine was getting really worried with it.

"Thank you…I knew I could count on you to calm me down. I'm just overreacting about all this. I do want to get to meet Neptune and get to know him…just because by all accounts he's a cool guy. My mom left him because they had diverging responsibilities and interests."

"That's what I heard." Citrine recounted the stories she'd been told.

"Citrine, there's something important I need to tell you. I…it's something I

"I…well…there's no easy way to say it."

"Say what…" Citrine was cut off when Eiess lunged forward and captured her lips. Citrine's eyes went wide in surprise. The kiss only lasted a second as Eiess eased back. Citrine's face was poster of confusion.

"Citrine?" Eiess shook Citrine's leg.

"Eiess I." Citrine sunk her head low.

"I know it was so sudden." Eiess was talking fast. "But I've given it a lot of thought and I realized that my whole life you've been the one to make me smile and laugh no matter how down I was. I just couldn't find the words to rationalize it but I…I love you."

"Eiess…" Citrine was still failing to rationalize what just happened. Apparently, her face portrayed something Eiess feared.

"Oh God." Eiess said as she put her hands to her mouth. "I'm so sorry. I…I should have made sure you felt the same way or at least…." She facepalmed. "I knew you liked guys and I still did it." She got up and started to walk away. "Why am I so stupid?" She started crying and holding her stomach. That was enough to break Citrine out of her stupor.

"You're not stupid." Citrine reassured her though her tone was flatter than she'd planned. "Just…uncharacteristically impulsive. Eiess, I don't know…what to think. But…I can't ever see myself not being your friend."

"Just a friend." Eiess whispered. She stormed off.

"Eiess wait." Citrine started to chase after her but she just didn't have it in her. "What do I do?"

 **AN: This went a bit longer than I thought it would. Lots of revelations here. Oh, and shipping! Because anybody with characters of their own understands the appeal of shipping two characters you have complete say over. So, what do you think of all this?**


	33. Arrival

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: Last chapter went over very well. Let's see if I can keep it up with this. I could only imagine how awkward the team dynamic would end up being because of this scenario. As always, I'm just going to do my best.**

Chapter 33: Arrival

Nephrite was at a loss. This situation, though not entirely unforeseen, had nevertheless made tensions rise. Nephrite was the first to notice. There were always subtle glances and moods that Eiess would display around Citrine and no one else. Then one night, Eiess hyped herself up to talk to Citrine. Soon after, Eiess storms back in, throws herself into her bed, curls up into a ball of blankets and goes to sleep. Then Citrine messages that she's staying at Nephrite's house for the night, and makes the excuse that she's babysitting. Which never happened because if there was a need to babysit, they would have pawned it off on Nephrite.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what had happened. Nephrite pondered if she could have prevented this outcome. Could she have talked Eiess out of her confession? Could she have let Citrine know earlier? Could she have convinced Citrine to give it a chance? Should she have? Was it the right thing? Was it even possible?

Everything around the room had just gotten awkward. Eiess had nearly cried herself to sleep every night this weekend. Citrine was stressed out to the point she had slept in the Ren House for the last two nights. Topaz was getting annoyed at the way they were acting. But Nephrite, she didn't know what to do. There was nothing in her past experience that could help them. And it was even harder when Citrine refused to be alone with Eiess.

"Students are arriving from Atlas today." Citrine informed.

"Cool." Topaz said. "Hey Eiess, you know anybody coming?"

"No." Eiess said solemnly. "I didn't stick around to find out who was going to Atlas. I can venture a guess on one or two of them."

"Come on, even Nova knew some of the Vacuo kids who got here yesterday." Topaz brushed Eiess' shoulder. Eiess just brushed her off. Nephrite eyed Citrine, who was currently chewing on her lip. Had they even made eye contact since Eiess' came out?

"I know Cero will certainly be there." Eiess said. "She was top of the class in Alcius. I know her by reputation if nothing else. Then there's Deus, we was in a few of my classes but we never talked."

"Did you talk to anybody in Atlas?" Topaz raised her brow.

"No!" Eiess snipped. "All my friends were here in Vale. I…I didn't think I needed anybody else." Eiess walked towards the door.

"Where are, you going?" Topaz asked.

"I'm going to make a call to my mom and see how she's doing." Eiess shut the door behind her.

"You're just going to let her storm off?" Topaz gestured to Citrine.

"What do you want me to do?" Citrine stood her ground.

"Uh…be a leader. I know Eiess is depressed because you turned her down. I get it. You don't swing that way. And now you feel guilty about it. Been there done that. But you're not just a friend. You're a teammate and leader. Headmaster Qrow put you in charge. I'm not asking you to put the world on your shoulders. I'm just asking that you do what you…"

A nock on the door interrupted them. Nephrite answered the door to find Winter Schnee of all people standing. At her side was a dark-skinned woman with white hair and a blue dress. Nephrite moved out of the way.

"Crap." Citrine muttered.

"Hmm." Winter glanced around the room. "I take it Eiess is out?"

"She probably went to the library." Topaz said. "She was going to call her mom."

"I see."

"What brings the Headmistress of Atlas here?" Topaz said.

"Not that we're complaining." Nephrite said. "We're honored but…this just seems a little out of the ordinary."

"Indeed." Winter walked around the room, examining it. Her eyes fell on Citrine and bore into the silver-eyed girl. "Because of recent events, I thought it appropriate to come down here for the festival."

"Wait, what's going on?"

"Hopefully nothing." The other woman said. "But your headmaster has come to a decision on the parameters of the festival."

"He'll probably make the official announcement tomorrow." Winter said. "I disagree with his plans but it should provide quite the entertainment." She glanced at Citrine again. "Anyway, that's why I'm here at Beacon but not why I'm here in this room. I merely wished to take Eiss out for a meal. You're more than welcome to come."

"I'll pass." Citrine said. Topaz shot her a glance.

"I'd be honored to come." Topaz said.

"I'm afraid I must pass up your invitation." Nephrite gave a bow. "I have prior engagements."

"Understood." Winter waved her hand. "Topaz correct? Mr. Snappes has shared stories about you. I'd like to hear more of your experiences out at sea."

"I'd be glad to share." Topaz followed her out. The dark-skinned girl stayed in the room a bit longer.

"You're Ruby and Jaune's kid, aren't you?" She asked.

"Yes." Citrine nodded.

"I can see the resemblance. The name's Ebony. If you can't tell, I'm a huntress. I knew your father during the war. Tell him I said high, and I look forward to seeing him in the festival."

"I'm not sure he's coming." Citrine said. "He's got…"

"I'm sure he'll be there. And after the parameters are announced, you'll probably beg him to come." Ebony walked out.

"Well that was weird." Citrine said.

"Atlas and Shade have arrived, and Haven is arriving tomorrow." Nephrite thought out loud. "So this announcement affects the students."

"Could be he's doing another tournament." Citrine said.

"Tournaments have been frowned upon since the Grimm War. He's definitely going to do some sort of competition though."

"That's the only explanation." Citrine said. "Nephrite…what should I do about all this…Eiess I mean."

"Well, you shouldn't push it." Nephrite said. "I wish I could give you advice but…" A thought crossed her mind. "Compromise."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…I'm not going with anyone and neither is Topaz."

"Wait, I thought…"

"She turned him down." Nephrite said. "It wasn't a big deal. He's going with Ariadne as a friend instead."

"Oh." Citrine nodded.

"I know Eiess isn't going to want to go with anyone besides you." Nephrite was correct in thinking that would make her leader feel guilty. "And I know you were wanting to ask Johnny but…why don't we go as a team?"

"An entourage?"

"Exactly." Nephrite said. "Who knows, maybe something will happen to clarify things for you."

"I just…I'm torn between what I feel and what I know." Citrine said. Nephrite's scroll buzzed.

"Topaz said they found Eiess and are heading out." Nephrite said. She took a seat next to her leader. "Just go with whatever feels right. When you clear your soul, you'll find what both your mind and body agree on. Start there."

"Thanks." Citrine wrapped her arms around her. "You're one of the best friends anyone could ask for."

"It's nothing. JNPR kids got to stick together." Citrine stood up.

"Clear the soul, right? Well, how about we drop in on some of our esteemed counterparts." Citrine put her hands on her hips. "Wait, you said you had plans?"

"Chénzi, Lánméi and Rosaline." Nephrite sighed. My parents are busy with the influx of students. I'm probably going to have to live at home this week."

"Well considering home for you is the other side of campus…"

"With those three it might as well be another universe."

"How do you do it? My siblings aren't nearly as obnoxious as yours and I can't stand being alone with them for extended periods of time."

"I find that by keeping myself right on that edge, I can control it and by extension, them."

"I guess." Citrine shrugged at Nephrite's rationalization of her patience.

"Well I'm heading out." Citrine said. "Talk to you later." Citrine walked off. Nephrite sat in silence for a few minutes and then started the short walk back home.

 **AN: This was the hardest chapter for me to write ever. I seriously had almost all of it done and I was going to resolve the Eiess/Citrine stuff and then said "I should save that for later and deleted most of the chapter and started again. Next time: an explanation on what's going on and a roster list for who's who.**


	34. Announcement

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: Taking my time with this chapter because the exposition is heavy with this one. Like, most of this chapter is going to be exposition. The little Huntsmen Game I have planned is multi-faceted and all consuming. It's the biggest tournament thing since the Vytal Festival from volume 3. So, there's a lot of rules and stuff that go into it.**

Chapter 34: Announcement

Eiess sat in a chair in the back of the auditorium. She wasn't feeling sociable. She had become paranoid. Every time she heard someone whispering, she feared they were making fun of her. She was afraid that her recent action had not been kept a secret. What would happen if everyone found out that she was in love with Citrine? What would happen if those same people knew Citrine had not reciprocated?

She just wanted to throw herself into work over this embarrassment. She wanted to lock herself in a room and not come out until everyone forgot. But no, she had to be here attending this mandatory conference. At least they provided chairs, unlike most assemblies.

There were students from all five academies. Most of them wore their uniform but there were a good number of people, even outside the uniform-free Shade, who were in their combat gear. On the stage was a set of tables.

It looked like a press conference or a town hall meeting. Headmaster Qrow was in the center. To his right was a woman Eiess recognized as the Arbiter leader. Her real name wasn't a matter of public record but she went by Nevermore. She had a Grimm mask sitting next to her prosthetic arm. Her black hair and red eyes sparked a sense of familiarity. She looked like an older Yang, but with Qrow's…Eiess thought they must be related somehow.

To Qrow's left was a young man with dark hair and a tanned complexion. Freckles plastered his face and his eyes were an odd mix of green and yellow. To his side was Winter, whose eyes were focused on the crowd. To the opposite side of Nevermore was that August fellow Topaz had talked about. He too had a Grimm mask in front of him.

"Alright, looks like you're all here." Qrow said into his mic. "I suppose introductions are in order."

"My name is August Gold. I will be representing Vacuo for this conference."

"I am Nevermore, leader of the Arbiters and headmaster of Arbiter Academy."

"The name's Qrow. But you all already knew that."

"I'm Oscar Pine. I'm a teacher at Haven Academy."

"I am Winter Schnee. Leader of Atlas Academy."

"We're here to discuss and answer any questions regarding your role in the festival activities." Oscar said.

"I like to call it the Huntsmen Games." Qrow said as an emblem appeared on the projector. It meshed all five academy symbols together.

"There will be five challenges." August said.

"Each one designed by a top tier huntsman residing within one of the kingdoms." Nevermore added.

"These challenges are tailored to the pillars of hunting." Oscar said.

"Valor, survival, wisdom, ingenuity, cooperation and strength." Winter listed off.

"Five challenges, five aspects, five kingdoms, five huntsmen, five ranks." Qrow listed.

"There will be one team for each year in each school." August said.

"And as my students are well informed…there will be no Arbiter team." Nevermore said.

"Instead each of the other teams will have an Arbiter student from their year added in."

"Now, for the televised segments, only one team, per year, per school will be competing." Oscar said.

"And the headmasters will oversee selecting the students that will be representing their kingdom." Winter said.

Eiess thought for a moment. That would mean only three of her classmates will be in the official competition. Johnny was probably a shoe-in. Citrine would be good for the publicity, as would Eiess. That thought gave her a panic attack. If it was them three that would mean…not only working with Citrine but also Johnny, who Citrine had made hints at before.

"And just to spice things up there will also be pro teams." Qrow said.

"These teams will not include headmasters, or any of the five concocting the challenges." Oscar said.

"And they will be picked by the security council for each kingdom." August added.

"And the teachers at Arbiter Academy will be joining those teams accordingly." Nevermore said.

"Are there any questions?" Oscar asked. A few students raised their hands. Oscar pointed to a student from Haven. "Yes Fen?" The student wore a blue and yellow dress and had pink hair tied into a bun with bangs over one eye.

"Is there any kind of prize?" Fen asked.

"I'm glad you asked." Nevermore said. "The winning team will get a thousand-lien cash prize as well as a three-week vacation to Anima at the end of the year. The winning school will get a trophy, with the headmaster coming into possession of this little gem." From inside her shirt she pulled out a large red stone that was glowing. "This relic holds great power. I'm sure any of us would love to have it."

The others seemed a little uneasy with the relic out like that. Oscar pointed his hand at another student, this time from Shade. He was bald with dark skin and green eyes. He also had hooves like a goat instead of normal feet.

"Also, keep in mind that there will be five winning teams." August said. "There will be one school with more wins than the others. That's what is deemed as the winning school."

"You said the headmasters will be selecting the students." He said. "How will this selection process go."

"Well Akhdir, they'll be picking the three best and brightest of their class." August answered.

"It's more than that." Qrow said. "We're picking three people we know can complement each other in a way that can benefit all five challenges." He pointed to a student from Atlas. Eiess recognized him as Deus.

"I understand the purpose of mixing teams." He said. "But why the seemingly over representation of Arbiter Academy? Three people per year per school. But every team will have one member of the Arbiters. That makes twenty Arbiters in total but only fifteen from each kingdom in total."

"Is that so?" Oscar seemed impressed.

"Dragna is still a fledgling nation." Nevermore answered. "We rose from the ashes of the Grimm War. Before then, we only numbered seven and stayed a small organization that aided humanity how we saw fit. In truth, no one from Dragna is from Dragna. I myself am from Vale and graduated from this school. Dragna and Arbiter Academy are testimonies to what humanity can accomplish when we ban together. They are the common ground of the older kingdoms. The generation of huntsmen we have here today are the first to have been born in the small kingdom. Our overrepresentation is a declaration of such."

That answer seemed to satisfy the students. Eiess still wondered if there were any other reasons. Eiess remembered family night and what was said. Nova's mom was an Arbiter, and she had been chasing Vile, who was responsible for the injuries, murders and theft at the Schnee manor not too long ago. That plus all the stuff that's been going on, with the train and the Grimm summoner last semester. All of it smelled of connection. Eiess had done her history homework. She knew the Arbiters were the lynch pin in a lot more than just the Grimm War.

"Excuse me!" Topaz raised her hand. "What about those of us that don't get picked?"

"I'm glad you asked." Oscar said. "You'll be given access to the facilities after the challenge. You can form your own teams and go through the same motions to your heart's content. It just won't be televised."

"Cool."

"Are there any more questions?" Nevermore asked. No one had their hands raised. "Alright, you're dismissed."

Eiess shuffled her way through the students, avoiding eye contact with her teammates. She made her way to Winter who was standing with Ebony and Ms. Polendina. They seemed to be discussing some of the students.

"Aunt Winter." Eiess got her attention.

"Ah…if you're looking for intel on the challenge or my picks, I'm afraid I can't help." Sadly, that was Winter's attempt at a joke.

"No, I just…I wanted advice." Eiess said.

"Is it about what we talked about last night?"

"Well, anymore advice you have would be grand. But…I…what if I'm not picked? What if I'm picked and so is Citrine and Johnny?"

"That would be wonderful." Penny said. "You and Citrine are on the same team, are you not?"

"We are but…" Eiess took a deep breath. "I'm in love with her." She said.

"Sensational." Penny said. "Even better."

"And she knows but hasn't reciprocated."

"It's probably just an awkward transition." Penny said. "She might not even understand her…"

"She likes Johnny." Eiess finished.

"Oh…" Penny fell silent.

"And this Johnny…" Winter said. "He's in the top of your class?"

"In almost every regard. His ability to predict potential outcomes and act accordingly is unparalleled amongst anyone I've seen."

"Well if it is the three of you, you cannot let it bother you." Winter put a hand on her shoulder. "I know this is easy coming from me but you have to move past your emotions. Or at least any jealousy you feel towards the boy. If things don't work out…then they weren't meant to and you'd be better to move on."

"But what if I'm not picked." Eiess said. "I think that scares me even more. Dealing with Citrine is inevitable. We share a room. Johnny is next door. But if I'm not competing…what does that say for the Schnee family?"

"Do you concern yourself with that?" Winter said.

"I mean…" Eiess hadn't given it a thought.

"Remember the purpose of these festivals. If you aren't picked…I may be disappointed but it'll be at Qrow, not you. You ARE good enough. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Thank you!" Eiess needed to hear that more than she knew. She wrapped her arms around her aunt.

"Anytime my dear niece. Anytime."

 **AN: The Huntsmen Games are around the corner. But we have a while before things actually start. I've said before, I ain't making 60+ characters for this thing. It'll only show the first-year bracket and a bit of the professional bracket. The next few chapters will be focused on the kids preparing, trying to edge each other out, and there's also a four chapter stretch of dance stuff thrown in before the competition starts.**


	35. Dragon of the Sun

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: Anytime there's a tournament, you can bet there'll be a montage when impulsive brats like Nova are involved. This chapter, is a lot of things I want. The hard part is figuring out which should come when.**

Chapter 35: Dragon of the Sun

Nova lunged for another attack but it bounced off the shield. She pushed forward again, swinging her arms wildly. She knew a direct attack was ineffective. It would never work. But it wasn't useless, not when combined with something. So, she tried sweeping his legs then fired up at his face. She followed up with a clone that tossed her to the side. She used her grappling hook to spin around and aim right at the back of his neck.

The blade connected, which filled Nova with so much satisfaction. He staggered a bit and turned in time to block the next strike. Nova bicycle kicked at his head but if was blocked by his sword. The block stung more than it should have as Nova flipped out of the way of a counter attack.

"That's enough." Ruby said. The red clad huntress was sitting cross-legged under a tree feeding her baby some milk. Ruby pulled the baby away and wiped his face. She passed the baby to Citrine who was still resting from her round of training. She recomposed herself and stood up to join them.

"Why do I have to keep training like this?" Nova asked. "No offence Mr. Jaune but, I need to get faster."

"Jaune has the best defensive semblance I know." Ruby said. "And he's a natural leader and teacher. I wouldn't even know where to begin without him." She pecked his lips. All the lovey-dovey stuff these two displayed made Nova's eyes roll. "So, tell me, what did you do right?"

"Right?"

"It's easier to learn from mistakes but you can also learn from success." Jaune said. "So, what did you do right?"

"I…" Nova thought for a moment. "I outmaneuvered you. I got around your defense and landed a major strike."

"How did you do that?" Jaune asked.

"I…I don't know."

"Walk me through your thought process." Jaune said.

"Well I knew early on that direct attacks wouldn't work. Which is good because I never liked simple attacks anyway. So, I needed to know how fast your reactions were but needed to do it in a way where you wouldn't know what I was doing."

"And?" Jaune grinned.

"I…I don't know what you saw in my attack." Nova was confused.

"How did you get around me so fast?"

"I just used my clone." Nova said. Jaune looked at Ruby who nodded.

"You're a natural." Yang walked into the clearing. "Ruby, she's not the kind of person who always understands her actions." She took a drink from her flask. Someone else joined her. She's smart when she fights. But when it comes to the actual how's and why's of her movements she just lets her instincts take over."

"Yeah." Nova said. "I've just done so much with my semblance that I use it constantly to stay mobile. I picked it up from my dad." Nova's eyes fell on the stranger that was with Yang. She had dark green hair and murky greyish red eyes. She also wore a long featureless black dress and a choker necklace with a rose pendant on it.

"Yang, you going to introduce us to your friend?" Ruby asked.

"Her name is…" Yang scratched the back of her head.

"Ventus." The girl answered. "I'm a student at Arbiter Academy. Nevermore has already selected me to be on Vale's first year team."

"Awesome." Ruby said.

"I tagged along because I want to see who I may be working with." Ventus said.

"Yeah and she's…" Yang grinned. "Well…I'll tell you all about it later."

"Oh." Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"I was told that a Citrine Rose would be here. According to all my teachers she's a front runner for the games."

"I'm Citrine." Citrine stood and joined them, still cradling her kid brother.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you." Ventus gave a short bow. She eyed up Citrine for a moment. "I look forward to working with you in the games." Ventus said with a smile. Something bothered Nova about this girl. There was something, fake about her politeness.

"How about a little sparring match?" Nova pointed a blade at Ventus.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Ventus put a finger on the blade and pushed it downward.

"My name is Nova and I WILL be in the games." She said firmly.

"You?" Ventus raised a brow. "That's awfully presumptuous. What makes you think you're even being considered?" She said.

"Ventus." Yang warned.

"Qrow is the one who selects which students from Beacon qualify. Only the best of the best will make the cut."

"That sounds a lot like me." Nova said. "Now and especially in the future."

"Nova please don't pick a fight." Yang pleaded.

"You stay out of this!" Nova said.

"You shouldn't talk to your betters like that you, insolent little brat." Ventus huffed.

"I'm not talking down to my betters." Nova said. "I may be at Beacon but I'm from Vacuo. You want respect you have to earn it and only one person here has earned my respect."

"Wait…" Yang said.

"And she's the one who was training me before you so rudely interrupted." Nova said. Yang sighed. Nova didn't care if she hurt Yang's feelings. She was still mad at her about family night. Which reminded Nova that Blake was still staying in Vale for the festival. She had attempted to spend time with her but Nova just blew her off half the time. Yesterday it took Jaune sitting her down to get Nova to talk to Blake.

"Me rude?" Ventus said indignantly. "You know what I don't have time for this." Ventus started walking off.

"Thank God." Yang whispered.

"Fine! Be a kuso yowai!"

"What did you call me?" Ventus started to get angry.

"Oh, God Damn it." Yang huffed.

Nova leaped at Ventus who nimbly dodged the strike. Ventus landed a palm strike. Her eyes went dark red as Nova was ripped away by a torrent of wind. She waved her hand. Wind ripped into Nova but she stood her ground. Ventus spun around again. Nova subbed in a clone and fired her grappling hook. She rode the wind and flew like a sling shot. She missed the kick to Ventus' head but with a quick spin, landed a flurry of slashes to the girl's hair.

"Enough!" Yang said. "You were specifically told not to make trouble while you were here."

"She started it." Ventus said.

"Yes, and I'll scold her later." Yang said.

"Jigoku you will."

"Ruby a little help here." Yang said.

"Nova, put Jumelle Buteur away." Ruby said. Nova begrudgingly answered. "It wouldn't be a fair fight. You've been training all day. You should go, get some rest. Maybe spend some time with your parents."

"Not this again." Nova said.

"Nova, if you don't spend time with them while they're here then you have no right to complain about never seeing her." Ruby put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you're still mad but you shouldn't let that anger control you." Ruby said soothingly.

"Ventus…leave." Yang said. "You've gotten what you've came for. So unless you're interested in some family time…"

"No thanks." Ventus stormed off.

"Who is she?" Ruby asked.

"It's a long story." Yang scratched the back of her head. Ruby started to gasp. "She's not my kid if that's what you're thinking."

"Oh, but you would be such a good mother." Ruby said. Nova crossed her arms and threw herself against the nearest tree.

"Yeah but there's no guy who can handle all this." Yang flaunted. Nova gagged.

"There's other ways." Jaune said.

"Can we change the subject."

"Wait with those eyes, and if it's not yours…" Ruby puzzled.

"Ruby drop it."

"Oh, my God, Raven had another kid. How, how did this happen?"

"God oh god no." Yang said. "I don't think Raven would even begin to let that happen."

"Then who's?"

"Drop it."

"But those eyes." Ruby pondered.

"Her name is Ventus Grinnitch." Jaune held up his scroll. That's all I could find in the directory.

"How did you?" Yang said.

"You forget the power I once had as a commander of the White Knights." Jaune flexed his arm.

"You asked Prof Ren." Citrine cut through his posturing.

"I was getting to that."

"So, wait, she's Octavia's kid?" Ruby said. "Wait then that means…if she's the same age as."

"Oh boy." Yang huffed.

"No!" Ruby belted out.

"Yep." Yang popped her lips.

"Does he…"

"If not he will soon."

"Wow I…think I need to process this a bit. Wait how long did you…"

"Only a few weeks. I put it together when I saw her semblance tell."

"What are we on about?" Jaune asked.

"I'll tell you tonight." Ruby said.

"That's a weird thing to talk about in bed." Yang said. Ruby's face went red.

"That's not…whatever."

"So, dad, are you going to try and be one of the old pros?" Citrine asked.

"Oh, thank you, a change is subject." Jaune said.

"I think you should." Ruby said. "It's been so long since you've gotten out and did anything with that sword of yours."

"Outside the bedroom." Yang mumbled.

"Yeah dad you should go." Citrine said. "It'll be fun."

"I'm not sure I want to though." Jaune said. "I haven't been in a serious fight since…well…the siege of Vale." He scratched his head.

"Come one! You and Mom together, it would be so cool."

"Actually, I can't fight." Ruby said.

"What, why not?" Citrine asked.

"Please don't tell me you're pregnant again already." Yang said.

"No, I can't because I'm designing one of the challenges." Ruby said. "Uncle Qrow says it was unanimous. They wanted my face in the marketing but putting me on a team would kill any kind of betting ring for that bracket."

"Then there's the matter of getting picked. It's up to the council which huntsmen they want in that bracket. They'll probably go for all the old war heroes but…I made my name during the Atlas campaign. If anyone is going to try and nab me it'll be them."

"You did kind of back the rebels and push them into power." Ruby said.

"Yeah, kind of. All I did was say that they had a good reason to be upset. I didn't have time to get too into politics back then. None of us were."

"I'd be fine with you going to Team Atlas." Ruby put her hands on his waste. "That's where we first kissed." She kissed him on the lips.

"Get a room." Citrine laughed.

"You'll understand when you find someone who you love, and loves you like this." Ruby said. Citrine sighed. Nova focused her glance at Citrine. She had heard the rumors about a shake up with Team CTEN. She didn't care much for it. So long as it didn't get in her way.

"We'll talk later." Ruby said to Citrine as she took the baby. "Someone's ready for a diaper change." She looked at Jaune and Yang. "Can you be a dear and swing by the Rens' place and pick up Prim Glade and Argent? I'm ready to head home after this pooper get's his diaper changed."

"We should be heading back too." Citrine said.

"Alright, it was so nice seeing you all again and training some." She gave Citrine a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Take care Nova." She said. "And call your mother. For me."

Nova stood up and started walking silently with Citrine. She pulled her scroll out of her pocket. An image, no, a memory of her parents flashed in her mind. Did they use to be happy like that? Nova shook the thought from her head. Maybe I'm the reason they always act the way… Nov squeezed her eyes shut and banished the thought. This wasn't her fault it was Blake's! She screamed in her head.

"Kuso yowai." She muttered as she dialed her father's number.

 **AN: I think I did good. A lot of setup. A lot of that pseudo-romantic banter I love writing with Lancaster so much. A tad bit of action and the introduction of one of the 'leads' of this arc. I'm satisfied.**


	36. A Special Night?

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: Now for the stretch of four chapters that make up the dance segment. I'm going to try my best to incorporate some of the other fighters in the upcoming tournament. But I also want to throw in some love for the other members of Team JANS.**

Chapter 36: A Special Night?

The dance would be starting in just a few hours. Eiess was hanging out in Team JANS room while her team got ready. Citrine was currently trying on various dresses she got from one of her aunts and Eiess didn't want to be seen as a prude. She had enough embarrassment lately.

Ariadne was playing her flute. The slow, deliberate melody put Eiess in a good mood. She was in a flowery white dress that clung to her thing body. There was nothing elaborate about it. The seams seemed amateurly made. Eiess wondered how much money she saved getting something like that.

Nova sat in a purple, sparkly, single-strapped dress. Unlike her teammate, she seemed uncomfortable wearing it. Even though to Eiess, it looked to be one of the more practical dresses in the dorm.

"Stupid strap." Nova scratched at her back.

"Not having a good time?" Ariadne said.

"I don't get why I have to wear this stupid thing. If it's a dance, shouldn't I be able to move?"

"Oh, don't be such a baby you can move just fine." Ariadne smiled.

"Ah, kuso…" Nova unclipped something. From beneath her dress, she pulled out her bra. "There, much better." She said. Ariadne rolled her eyes. Eiess just blushed a little.

"Not much better." Ariadne said.

"Better for me."

"What if some guy…"

"I'll slit their throat if they try pulling any fast ones on me." Nova felt herself. "The dress is tight enough anyway." Nova looked at Eiess. "So, what are you going to wear?"

"I, have a dress picked out." Eiess said. "My aunt has it with her. She's supposed to be coming up here to bring it. Then Ebony is going to do my makeup."

"That's your aunt's assistant, right?" Ariadne said. Eiess nodded. "Oh, it must be nice to come from money."

"It does have it's advantageous. But it also comes with its own set of problems." Eiess said.

"Like what?"

"Pressure. Living your whole life trying to be the perfect little daughter."

"Pssh, sounds like you need a rebellious streak." Nova said.

"How is your mother doing?" Eiess asked.

"She took me out to dinner." Nova said. "She tried apologizing for all the times that she's not there and that she's sorry."

"Do you believe her?" Ariadne asked.

"That's what pisses me off the most!" Nova shot up. "She knows exactly what she's doing and how wrong it is. She always does this. Every time she comes back she's all like 'oh please forgive me.' Then as soon as something comes up she runs off again. I'm just done! I'm so sick of her shimatta." Nova slammed her palms on the window sill. "I hope that when she leaves she never comes back again." The door opened.

"You don't mean that." Johnny said as he and Scotland walked in. Scott looked confident in his tuxedo. Johnny tried adjusting his sleeves which didn't quite fir right.

"Ladies." Scott flaunted with a wink. Ariadne acted like she gagged.

"I know you hate her." Johnny walked up to Nova. "But you try so hard to hate her. You cling to all the things she missed out on. You act as if she was never there. You hate what she's done so much that you're shutting her out to keep from getting hurt again."

"So, what if I am? Are you going to tell me I shouldn't? That I should just let her back in and pray that she doesn't leave me again."

"No, I'm just trying to get you to rationalize your feelings. That's all. You're impulsive but you're also strong. Stronger than anyone I've met." Nova pushed him back.

"That's too close." She said. "You're right, and you think you're so smart. "But don't think you know how I feel."

"I do…more than you know." He said. "Anyway, you're all looking…nice."

"Nice? That's all you can say?" Ariadne laughed.

"Well if I try overcomplimenting, Nova is liable to throw me out the window."

"You'd live." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Speaking of overcomplimenting, Eiess, I heard your team is going as…well a team." Johnny said.

"What does that have to do with compliments?" Ariadne asked.

"I couldn't help but notice you're here." Johnny said.

"Yes." Eiess tried following his reasoning.

"And not with your team." Johnny inquired.

"I…it's nothing you should worry about."

"That's not fair." Scott said. "Back at Mountain Glenn, we decided that we're in this together. All of us."

"She wanted to go alone with Citrine." Nova said. Eiess heart dropped.

"H-how did you…?"

"I had my suspicions. Today only proved it. I've known the both of you my whole life."

"Yeah, I've seen the way you look at her." Ariadne said. "It's kind of sweet."

"Hmm…" Johnny put a hand to his chin. "I can see how that could cause some issues."

"Because she's halfway in love with you?" Eiess said.

"Wait, what?" Ariadne said.

"It's true." Eiess hung her head low. "I should have known better than intrude on that."

"Do you love her?" Johnny asked.

"Yes."

"Then keep at it." Johnny said. "I don't know what you or she or I should do. But I know time has a funny way of testing our bonds. If you give up, you'll never know what could have been."

"Thanks." Eiess couldn't help but smile. "You should dance with her you know. She derserves someone who cares. Maybe that person is you."

"I don't know about that." Johnny said. Eiess scroll started buzzing. It was Winter.

"Hello?" Eiess answered.

"Eiess, we're down stairs waiting for you." Ebony responded.

"Alright I'll be right down." She hung up. "Time for me to go." She said.

"Hey." Nova said. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll dance with you."

"Thank you. I'll see you all at the dance." Eiess said. She walked out in the hallway and nearly ran into Citrine. She had her hair in curls hanging past her shoulder. Her orange strapless dress accentuated her curves. The bottom only hung to her knee, exposing her athletic legs. The sight nearly gave Eiess a nosebleed.

"Hey." Citrine said awkwardly. Eiess had never seen her this dolled up before.

"Hey." Eiess started to slide away. "I uh…I need to get ready." She turned and walked away.

"Wait." Citrine said. "Do…do you like it?" Citrine said. "I was hoping to catch some attention."

"It uh…certainly works. I uh…" Honestly Eiess thought Citrine would look good in and out of anything. "I think I'm the lowest bar to impress." Eiess' face went red and she stormed off. Of all the rotten timing.

She got to the lounge where Winter had set up shop. Ebony sat her down and instantly started applying makeup and putting her hair up. Winter sat and watched as she played her violin. It was rare for Winter to have time to pursue her artistic passion. But since she was in Vale and merely overseeing her students for the festivities, she had a lot more time. Though she maintained her carefully calculated poise, Eiess could tell she was enjoying herself.

"There you go." Ebony said. Eiess' hair was up in a bun with a corkscrew lock, nearly identical to her aunt's. "Your mom special ordered this dress for you." Ebony helped her into the form fitting dress. The sleeves and chest were a see-through grey mesh. The royal blue color palette complimented Eiess' tan complexion. The mini-skirt of the dress had a slit in it to allow more movement.

"You look beautiful Eiess." Winter said.

"Thank you." Eiess said.

"Well, it's about that time." Ebony said. "Knock those boys' dead then break their heart by dancing with all the pretty girls on this Saturday night." Eiess blushed.

"Eiess, you're a Schnee, there's no reason for you to be unconfident."

"But Citrine…"

"Simply doesn't share your…preferences." Winter inadvertently said it a bit more venomously then she intended. "If she fancied girls, and you did that, I have no doubts that with a little assertiveness you'd have her wrapped around your finger."

"All your advice boils down to 'be a badass' Winter." Ebony laughed.

"It's worked for me." She said.

"All girls look for is confidence." Eiess said. "You're fighting an uphill battle as a minority but…you'll get it down someday. We believe in you. And I know your mom does too."

"Does…does she know about…"

"No, we thought it best that you tell her." Ebony said. "But I know she'll support you no matter what, and that goes double for your dad. I mean his team might as well be the spokespeople for the LGBT community."

"I guess you're right." Eiess said. "I've just been under a lot of stress. Not just with this, but with school, and that guy that attacked mom, and Nova being mad at her mom, not to mention the stuff with Neptune Vasilias."

'It's…best not to let that stuff worry you." Winter said. "We headmasters are dealing with Cipher. And Neptune may be your biological father but he is not a part of your life."

"I know." Eiess walked forward and twirled a bit.

"We should be going." Winter said.

"Are you going to dance?" Eiess asked.

"I may have one or two dances in me." Winter said. "I'll dance with you should that be your desire." She walked firmly. "But Qrow put me in charge of security for the dance. I'm there to make an appearance, nothing more really."

"Alright." Eiess nodded. They made their way to the dance hall where a few people had already gathered. Winter and Ebony went on ahead while Eiess waited for her team. She didn't wait long. Topaz and Nephrite came with simple blue and green dresses respectively. Topaz dress was definitely meant to catch attention. It hooked around her neck and had a hole that exposed some cleavage. Her back, arms and legs were completely exposed.

Nephrite was much more modest. Her green dress hung to her ankles and had a long slit to allow movement. Her heels also added a good six inches making her the tallest person in the group. She had a large pink rose corsage pinned to one of her straps. Her whole hair was braided down her pack in an intricate twist.

"You ready?" Citrine followed behind them.

"Yes." Eiess said. Citrine led the way in.

"You look beautiful by the way." Citrine said. Eiess smiled and blushed at the compliment.

 **AN: And so, the dance begins. I have three smaller chapters planned for three different perspectives. Shipping will intensify and so will rivalries. There's going to be a couple new characters introduced through this dance.**


	37. Fluid Motion

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: Shut up and dance! This is the first of three chapters centering around the dance. This one will focus on Topaz as she chats up various people, all of which will be involved in the competition coming up.**

Chapter 37: Fluid Motion

Topaz felt important strutting into the dance hall as part of a posse. The lights gave the room a cool mood. There were tables with punch and cookies and other confectionary treats along the edges. The music had a nice fast beat to it but wasn't heavy like club music.

An upperclassman named Blink stood at a podium to welcome them and sign them in. Qrow and Winter were chatting against the far wall. Oscar was pacing around the opposite wall. Several students filled up the table and the dance floor. Topaz recognized a few other people from classes and assemblies.

"So, what now?" Eiess said.

"Let's find us a table." Citrine walked over to the nearest pair of tables and pushed them into each other. Topaz made a quick punch run and wrote her name on her cup before filling it up with the blue raspberry juice. Eiess sat at one end of the table. Nephrite sat across from her. Citrine had already made her way to the dance floor and was strutting her stuff. Topaz noticed that Eiess' eyes lingered on the jubilant leader.

"So, are you going to sit there and stare or are you going to do something?" Topaz said. Eiess jumped a little.

"I don't really feel like dancing." Eiess sighed.

"Alright then." Topaz turned to her partner. "Nephrite?" Topaz extended her hand.

"Sure." Nephrite grabbed it and the two went to the dance floor. Topaz couldn't help but notice just how different the three girls were on the dance floor. Citrine was like a prima ballerina, jumping and twirling and putting her whole effort into it. Nephrite was much more subdued and controlled. She moved well, which should have been impossible in those stilettos. Then again, her morning warm up consisted of balancing on top of a chair while she cooked breakfast. Topaz on the other hand just closed her eyes and let the music flow through her. It was in her nature, no, it was her nature to flow like water.

"You did well." Nephrite gave a bow after the dance. Topaz looked around. Team JANS had arrived as had Prof Nora.

"Hey Citrine, your parents going to show up?"

"No, they got four kids to watch." Citrine answered as she caught her breath. "I'm sure my mom and dad are having their own dance."

"It'd be nice to have someone like that…that'll just dance with you no matter the occasion."

"Yeah." Citrine sighed.

"Topaz." Scott walked up. "I know you turned me down for the dance but…I was still wondering if you'd share this dance with me?" He asked.

"Sure." Topaz shrugged. Nephrite traded to dancing with Citrine, forcing their leader to work at a more methodical pace during the medium-tempo song. Scott was going through carefully rehearsed motions.

"You're looking good tonight." Scott said.

"You're not looking too bad yourself. You're not half bad at dancing either."

"The trick is to find a few motions you can do and keep code switching between them."

The song ended slowly. The next song was a ballet. Topaz didn't care much for it. Citrine found a partner in Qrow. Nephrite danced with her mom. Topaz took a seat next to Johnny, Nova and Eiess.

"Why don't you go out there Johnny?" Topaz asked.

"I've never danced before." He answered.

"You serious?" Topaz asked. He nodded.

"You should give it a try." Topaz said. "How about you Nova?"

"Okoru." Nova spat out.

"How rude." Topaz huffed. "Eiess?"

"I'm not really in the mood." Eiess said.

"Oh." Topaz bit her lip. She looked over to Citrine who seemed to be having a ball. "Look, Citrine loves dancing. Always has. You know that. This is the only place where she can just throw herself around without a care in the world. You should capitalize on that."

"I can't bring myself to do it." Eiess said. "Not for her sake but for mine." She looked at Nova. "It's just like your mom, the fact we're so close makes it hurt even more." She looked at Johnny. "Look at me, complaining when I'm surrounded by friends." She took a drink of punch. "Johnny, you should dance with her. I know she'd love to give you a few lessons."

"Eiess I…" Johnny started.

"Topaz is right, this is the one place she doesn't have to worry about anything." Eiess looked at Citrine longingly. "But I know…if you dance with her…it'll make her night. And she'll ride that wave of joy for days. And I'd pay anything for her to stay happy for more than a day."

"You're a good friend." Johnny said. "Citrine's lucky." The song transitioned into another waltz. Winter came and asked Eiess to her first dance. Citrine switched with some kid in a tux to dance with Ariadne. Scott was dancing with some messy haired girl. Nephrite was dancing with the boy who had just gotten done with Ariadne.

Then, an earnest looking guy with intense eyebrows and a bowl cut walked over to their table. He wore a green and red suit and had the Haven symbol pinned to his chest. He made his way strait to Topaz.

"Um…" He said. "My name is Verdant. May I have this dance?"

"Me?" Topaz asked. Verdant shook his head nervously. "Sure, why the hell not?" She got up and initiated the dance.

"You are a Beacon student, am I correct?"

"Yep."

"I am from Haven."

"I could tell."

"You look like you are from the Azul family. May I ask your name?"

"Oh, where are my manners. The name is Topaz. Topaz Azul."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." He said.

"No need to be nervous." Topaz gave a spin.

"I was here with my friend Fen. But she decided to switch partners."

"It happens when you go as just friends." Topaz's eye drifted to Nephrite.

"Do you have a lot of friends?"

"I'm pretty popular I think." Topaz flaunted her stuff a little.

"Are you going to compete in the Huntsmen Games?"

"If I get picked." Topaz shrugged. "I doubt it though. Maybe if five people per grade were selected instead of three I'd skim by."

"I've been working very hard to be the best huntsman I can be." Verdant said.

"That's a good attitude. What year?"

"First year."

"Nice, I'd say I'd route for ya, but we're also first years. So it's my friends you'll be competing against."

"I'll keep that in mind." Verdant said. The song ended and something more up Topaz's ally came on. She figured this was as good a time as any.

"Come here kitty cat." She ran over and ripped Nova from her chair.

"What are you, let me go."

"Just let it happen." Topaz twirled her around.

"Kuso."

"You heard what we were talking about. You need to loosen up more than any of us."

"Okoru." Nova growled.

"You're already in it, might as well finish."

"I hate you." She huffed.

"No, you don't." Topaz held her tight. She was relieved when Nova gave up her struggle.

"I'm a monkey actually." Nova said.

"Oh, I knew it was a tossup." Topaz said.

"It was. For a while I didn't know. It wasn't until I started working it out that I found out that it was much stronger than a tail. You don't know how glad I was when I found out."

"How come?"

"Well, aside the obvious applications…"

"Oh my!" Topaz said in a sensual tone.

"Can it. It means I did really get something from my dad."

"God, you really hate your mom." Topaz shook her head.

"She's a coward." Nova said. "And she's…" Topaz put a finger to Nova's lips.

"We're trying to have a good time remember."

"That's right." Nova sighed. As the song ended, Nova drifted off back to the table. Topaz decided to let her go. There were plenty of other cool people here to dance with.

 **AN: Topaz, being a bit of the Yang type character in this group dynamic. Next two chapters will feature either Nova or Citrine. One of them will have a resolution and the other one will have the whole point of the dance. I don't know which to pick first.**


	38. A Night to Remember

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: The decision has been made. Nova gets to go first. I don't have as much for this chapter so a lot of it is by the seam of my pants. This is still going to sum up the whole point of the dance, which is the same point as volume 2 but this time it's Nova that needs to hear but not understand the lesson.**

Chapter 38: A Night to Remember

Nova stepped to the back of the room. Topaz was dancing with Scott again. Ariadne had stolen numerous dances with Johnny. Citrine was dancing with Nephrite. Eiess was dancing with a brown-haired kid Nova had seen with the Atlas students. Probably an old friend.

Nova scratched her leg as she people watched. She still felt uncomfortable wearing the dress and heels. She had good enough balance for it but they were terribly impractical. Nova let out another sigh as her mind drifted to the battle field. If Ruby and Yang weren't busy, Nova would have spent this time training instead of standing here doing nothing.

"Not enjoying yourself?" Someone said. It was that teacher from Mistral. O-something. "Oscar Pine." He stuck his hand out.

"Nova Wukong." She introduced herself. "And no. I'm not one for dances. With the huntsmen games coming up, and my spot on Vale's team not exactly secured, I should be training."

"You can't spend your whole life on the battlefield."

"Tell that to my mom." Nova huffed and crossed her arms.

"Funny, Ms. Belladonna, I believe is currently spending quality time with her friends."

"And not her own daughter?"

"To my understanding, you're the one who shut her out."

"Who told you that was any of your business?" Nova said. Oscar nodded and looked on to the dances.

"You know, Ruby Rose wasn't a dancer either when she was your age."

"That's hard to believe watching Citrine."

"She gets it from her father's side. But when her parents started dating, Ruby took up dancing to have something else her and Jaune could share."

"That's so sweet." Nova rolled her eyes. "I guess you know them quite well."

"Well, I'm a professor. Us professors know everyone to some extent. For example, the young man Ms. Schnee is dancing with is Mavros Kane. He's a first-year student in Atlas with the highest marks in general studies, Grimm studies, and second in nearly every other huntsman specific class. His grandfather was a member of the Faunas revolution. He's only half-Faunas, and through chance, does not have a Faunas trait."

"Sounds like he was so lucky."

"Your generation has it lucky. Long gone are the days of the revolution or the White Fang. Of course, there's still a small group that says that what the Faunas have isn't enough and have proceeded to kick and scream for more. But the wider community doesn't take their views that seriously."

"I never cared about that. Human, Faunas, man, woman, rich, poor, all that matters is strength."

"Ah, the Vacuo motto." Oscar said. "It's no wonder that historically, Vacuo has been the most prosperous territory with the least amount of Grimm activity. Even during the Grimm War that threatened to swallow up all of civilization, Vacuo did fine and went without any major catastrophe in its capital. When every other major city was only to hang on by a thread and a little hope."

"Yep. We're that awesome.' Nova stretched her arms. "It's going to be really hard not to route for them in the games."

"Well, loyalty to friends only extends to one of five brackets."

"True. And I think I'll have to vote Vacuo in the professional brackets. If the council is picking the its champions, then they'll probably put my dad in."

"Wouldn't surprise me."

"Are you going to be in the tournament?"

"Oh, no, not for lack of pull in the council mind you. I am representing Haven Academy in place of Headmaster Azul. He wanted to be here and spend time with his son and granddaughter, but with Headmistress Schnee already adamant about seeing to things here…he passed it off to me. No need to have four of the five headmasters in the same city."

"Can I ask you something?"

"I'm a professor, it's my job to answer questions."

"How did you meet Ms. Ruby. What was she like?" He nodded.

"You've only known her as a legend and as a mother. Qrow or Yang or one of her teammates would be better suited to answer the question. When I met her, she was a hero." He smiled. "After the Grimm War, she spent six months traveling the world and fixing the damage done to the kingdoms. I was just a farm hand at my Aunt's on the outskirts of Mistral's capital. She, and those she was with, came there. They saw something in me and told me about the maidens."

"That stuff is common knowledge though."

"This was when it first became public knowledge. On the last day of the war, when the huntsmen drew the line at Crete, Ruby announced to the world what her plan was. She unveiled the secrets that had forged the world of yesterday. So now the maidens are common knowledge. But their identity, at least half of them, are secret. Only Ruby and that Cinder Fall woman are in public knowledge."

"Oh." Nova nodded.

"Anyway, they gave me some training, and when they saw my semblance they sent me off to Haven Academy. Since then, I've went on numerous missions with various huntsmen, including her."

"I wish I could see her in action. I mean like, going all out."

"I'd like to see that too. But I hope neither of us have to." He turned his attention back to the dance. "After she got back from her tour…Ruby spent the next year relaxing. She took no missions. She barely traveled. She rested and relaxed in her victory. Her…Happily Ever After. That's when she married Jaune."

"It's a charming tale. I've heard much of that before."

"t's not too dissimilar from tonight."

"How so?"

"Well, fighting and dancing aren't that different. Two people interlocked. Except, one wrong move on the dance floor merely leads to a swollen foot."

"Or a twisted ankle." Nova said. 'But you have to be a klutz for that to happen."

"Ah but it's not everyday friends are able to come together like this." Oscar pointed to Ariadne and Johnny. Both of them were laughing with genuine smiles on their face. "Time has a way of testing our bonds." He pointed to Eiess, sitting with her aunt and that Ebony woman. "But it's nights like these that can help them be stronger than ever." He pointed to Citrine and Nephrite, who looked calm and collected as they twisted to the beat. "It's nights like these that we'll never forget." Oscar pointed to Topaz and Scott, who were both dancing with strangers.

Oscar walked off after that. Nova decided to join Eiess at her table. She wormed her way through the crowd but then bumped into a familiar face. Well, face was the only thing familiar. She wore a tuxedo top and a skirt. Anyone who didn't know any better would be puzzled at her complete disregard for gender roles. But her usual pink mohawk was combed back and the curly hair around it had gotten a bit long to where one could barely tell there even was a mohawk.

"Rasa?"

"Nova?"

"What's up girl?" The two girls fist bumped.

"Nothing much, heard you were going to Beacon. Didn't believe it for a second but here you are."

"I've been keeping my eye out for you." Nova said. "Où étiez-vous?" Nova was excited to ask where her friend had been.

"Pssh, I skipped the assembly." Rasa said. "I only came to the dance to see if there's any hearts worth breaking."

"Well, no one is around whose knees need breaking so I'm at a bit of a loss here."

"You going to try to fight in the games?"

"Chienne y'know it." Nova laughed. "Fighting like hell to make the cut."

"Same, we got a pretty tough class this year. I may make it if only just. You know Ramil Dadid?"

"Only by reputation." Nova said.

"Well, Headmaster Gull already picked her to represent Shade's first year team. Akhdir Eimlaq will probably nail a spot too."

"I saw him at the assembly. Is he really that good?"

"Yeah. He's crazy strong and though he's not exactly a strait A student but he's not an oaf either."

"Seems par for the course these days."

"Anyway, I got to get going. It was lovely seeing you again." She pulled out her scroll and Nova did the same so they could exchange information. "I'll keep in touch. Good luck out there." She walked away. Nova continued to make her way to Eiess but then the last person she wanted to get in her way did.

"Nova." The timid voice sounded so small.

"Go away." Nova stared her mom strait in the eyes. They were the same height if not for the older woman's cat ears.

"Nova please don't shut me out." Blake grabbed her arm.

"I can do whatever the hell I want."

"I know you're still mad at me and I deserve it."

"See, that's the problem!" Nova shouted at her. But it could barely be heard above the music. "If you didn't…if you didn't realize how messed up what you've done is…I could forgive you…I could show you that home is where you should be…that I…was where you should be. But you get it! You knew exactly what the hell you were doing and still ran. YOU. SHUT. US. OUT! So, don't you dare come crying to me asking for forgiveness." She felt tears run down her face. "I don't need you. I got along just fine when I thought I did. Kuso, and I was doing just fine without you here tonight."

"I'm so sorry." Blake's voice was shaky.

"You leave for moths at a time. When you were gone you never called or wrote. When you were home you just sat around and read. You never even tried to be a good mom. So, why should I think that, just because Ms. Ruby got all pissed at you, you're going to start now?"

"Because I can't run anymore?" Blake cried out.

"You'll find a way. You always do. Kuso Yowai!" Nova cursed. "You were so scared that you were going to be a terrible mother that you ran. That's what made…what makes you a terrible mother and you know it."

"Nova I literally can't run anymore." She pulled up her dress. "This…this is what happens when people go after Cipher." Her right leg was a sickly grey. The blood vessels radiated from beneath the skin. "You're right. I didn't think I would be a good mother. I didn't care. So long as I knew you were being raised well. I know it doesn't mean shit to you but I am so proud of you. These last ten years…and even a little bit before that I threw my life away to fight. To protect you. To make sure that you NEVER had to go through what I did."

"How did it happen?" Nova's eyes fixated on the now covered leg.

"Like I said…Cipher. It's why I couldn't get here sooner. The only ones that know about this are Yang and her mother. And you. Your father will know by the end of the night."

"Does it hurt?"

"All the time. I can still walk just fine. But that's all I can do. I…we did tests on it. If I were to use a Black Gate…one of the portals that the Arbiters use…it'd disintegrate." Nova bit her lip.

"Am I supposed to feel sorry?"

"No, Nova." Blake put a hand on her shoulder. Part of her wanted to slap the hand off. "I want you to believe me. I…I don't know how I could live with myself knowing my own daughter hates me."

'Well get used to it." Nova pushed her away.

"I'm not asking for you to put faith in me. Or to believe things will just be happy again. I'm just asking for some peace of mind." An idea struck Nova's mind.

"Peace of mind? I forgive you. If these Cipher guys are as bad as you say…then I'm glad you were at least doing something worthwhile. But I don't trust you. I will NEVER…trust you again. So, don't bother with promises. I won't expect you to keep them anyway." Nova turned her back on Blake and headed to the dance floor.

 **AN: I did not expect it to be that long. I extended the Oscar stuff a lot, just nail down the point that he's the next Ozpin in the actual show. His role will be a bit different here. Also, I don't think I'll ever have Nova fully forgive Blake. Not without some world ending threat bringing them closer together.**


	39. Fearless

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: This chapter is going to incorporate actual song lyrics. I just think it'll be easier to convey the emotion if I have the characters sing along to the songs. Especially sense those songs are more or less the inspirations for the dynamics these characters have with each other.**

Chapter 39: Fearless

Citrine was having a wonderful night. This was the one night since the semester started that she was able to throw away all her worries and her stripes. She was able to just be herself and do something she had loved to do since the first time her dad danced with her in the living room.

Citrine took a break to rest her feet and rehydrate with some punch. She saw that Eiess was sitting with her aunt and Nova was walking away from her mother. Citrine shook the thought from her head. She focused on what was important. Like the fact, Johnny was walking towards her.

"Hey." He slid in next to her. "You seem to be enjoying yourself."

"I am." She blushed and moved a strand of hair out of her face.

"I'm glad we came with our teams." He pointed to Nova, who was taking a seat next to Eiess.

"I'm glad too."

"To leadership." He raised his cup.

"To leadership." Citrine said. She wanted to ask him for a dance. She had danced her way through all of her other friends, save for Eiess and Nova, neither whom seemed to be dancers. Just as she looked to him the next song began to play. It was a song Citrine knew well and even learned on guitar. Her eyes lit up at that moment.

"Huh?" Johnny looked puzzled.

"Oh, my God I love this song!" Just as the song said, she grabbed him by the hand and drug him to the dance floor. She quickly got the two of them in motion with his hand on her hip and hers on his shoulder. He seemed to want to protest but after the vocals started he just smiled and sighed contently. Citrine4 resisted the urge to sing along.

"You know…I wasn't planning on dancing with you at first." He said.

"How come?"

"Wasn't planning on dancing with anyone until I was convinced. And I think you're really cool." Citrine blushed at his remarks. The chorus was about to begin.

"I think you're cool to." The chorus started. "I don't know how it, gets better than this, you take my hand and drag me headfirst fearless." She sang along, rocking her head with the music. To hell with it messing up her hair. "And I don't know why but, with you I'd dance, in a storm in my best dress fearless." She moved closer to him.

"You're quite the dancer." He complimented.

"So are you."

"It's all about movement." He laughed. The chorus played again and Citrine backed off and threw herself into every movement as she sang. This time ending by spinning into his arms. The song started to wind down a bit before picking up again. All the time she was singing to him. He smiled and laughed at her advances but the whole time there was something about his eyes. Like, they were looking through her. Not that she minded. His eyes seemed to sparkle like the water on the ocean reef.

The song ended. Citrine guided him to a chair to sit. She swung by and grabbed her cup on the way. He did the same. They sat and watched the others dance. Nova was even dancing with Eiess this time. The song was a lot faster with a sweeping beat.

"Why did you agree to dance with me?" Citrine asked.

"Hm?"

"You said someone convinced you to dance with me. Who was it."

"You're looking at them." He nodded over towards Eiess and Nova. Citrine's eyes fell to her shoes. This feeling, she had felt it before. She felt it the night Eiess had kissed her, when she decided to sleep at the Rens' home. And it wasn't a good feeling either.

"Oh."

"You have good friends Citrine. You deserve people like them. And I think they deserve someone like you." Johnny advised. "Time has a way of testing our bonds. But her whole life, and reflecting on it, and that's the conclusion she made. If that isn't a passing grade…" He stood up. "Thanks for the dance." Like a gentleman, he kissed her hand as he parted. "I have my own bond to test." He winked at her. "Pay it forward." And like that he left her and went to dance with Ariadne.

Citrine sat in thought for the remainder of that song. A memory flashed in her mind. When she talked about boys to her parents. She had always wanted to find someone who looked at her the same way her dad looked at her mom. She wasn't like Nephrite and she wasn't like Nova. She did have a soft spot for love and romance. She had room in her heart for something other than fighting Grimm. Could she…?

As the song ended, Citrine made her move. She cut through the crowd to find her best friend. She found her, parting ways with Nova. Eiess turned around and her whole face lit up. It was just like old times, when her mom would return home from a lengthy hunt her dad would make the same face.

"Citrine?" She said.

"Kept you waiting, didn't I?" She held out her hand. "I guess I was searching for what I want."

"But what about Johnny?"

"He's not going anywhere." Citrine extended her hand further. Eiess clutched it in between heart beats. Eiess pulled her in close. Citrine didn't bother fighting it. "And I have a crush on him sure…but there's some things that are more important than childish romances."

"Like?" Eiess said.

"Dancing with the only girl I'm not related to, that I could ever love." She wrapped her arms around Eiess as the music started. It was a slow, methodical lullabye.

"I love this song." Eiess whispered into Citrine's shoulder. Citrine could feel the smaller girl taking everything in. Most apparent was the sound of wind entering Eiess' nose as her chin dug into Citrine's shoulder.

"Sing it then." Citrine said, recalling her own actions just a few minutes earlier.

"You're the sky that I fell through." Her voice stretched out. She was a lovely singer. Years of practice from a family that would do anything to improve their standing…even performing at their own events. "And I remember the view, whenever I'm holding you."

"You should sing more often." Citrine said. Eiess was a piano player first and a singer a distant third. With an instrument, she could just loose herself in the moment. Citrine understood as a guitar player herself.

"Chills run down my spine." Eiess kept singing. As if on cue Citrine got chills and Eiess ghosted her hand up Citrine's back. "As our fingers entwine." They laced their fingers together. "And your sighs harmonize with mine." They were close now. So, close that Citrine could feel her breath and heartbeat. Citrine smiled feeling comfortable with the proximity.

"And your sighs harmonize with mine." Citrine finished.

"Unmistakably." They sang together. "I can still feel your heart, beat fast when you dance with me."

"We got older and I should have known." Eiess sang.

"Do you feel alive?" Citrine sang backup.

"That I'd feel colder when I walk alone." Eiess continued.

"Oh, but you'll survive." Citrine responded rubbing Eiess' back.

"So, I may as well ditch my dismay." Eiess pulled back. "Bombs away." She whispered as she pulled Citrine in for a quick kiss. Citrine let it happen without a response. "Circle me and the needle moves gracefully back and forth." They started rocking to the sleepy beat. "If my heart was a compass you'd be north."

"Risk it all cause I'll catch you if you fall wherever you go." Citrine sang.

"If my heart was a house you'd be home." Eiess finished. Citrine got swept up in the emotion as she pulled Eiess into a deep kiss. The second verse was well on the way by the time they broke. There were lot of people cheering. Citrine had been so in the zone she failed to notice the crowd that had gathered around them.

"Eiess, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm the reason you've cried yourself to sleep."

"Don't be. I…I should have saved it for the dance." She smiled.

"It would have gone good with that Kiss Me song earlier."

"I know, right?" Eiess gave a warm smile. "Why'd you change your mind."

"Eiess…I won't lie to you. I'm still not sure I think of you…that way." She nervously tugged at her skirt. "But damn it it's worth a try. If it doesn't work out…I hope, we can just go to a slightly more awkward version of how things were before."

"Maybe better." Eiess kissed her shoulder. "I have always loved you. When I realized that, my whole life made more sense. When I kissed you…I was finally able to be honest with myself…and with you."

"I love you too." Citrine said. There was a little trepidation but not as much as she expected. "And you're a really good kisser." Citrine laughed.

"Do you want to leave the dance floor?" She asked, the song was ending.

"Star gaze on the balcony?"

"I can't come up with anything better." Eiess followed her lead.

 **AN: That chapter was so sweet. Honestly, I think it outdoes my big Lancaster chapter in some ways. Then again, RWBYond Vale chapter 83 was longer and had a lot more creativity and no singing lyrics to each other.**


	40. Return

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: We interrupt your program of cute lesbian couples to remind you that this story has a plot. We're half way through this arc and taking a minor detour to catch up with the villains as they plot. Or, they would be if they still had something to plot.**

Chapter 40: Return

Three days Levi had been training. He pushed his body to the limits against the Grimm. Cloak had everything she needed. Whatever she was doing she was going to do it soon. Levi had to be ready. He knew something was coming and when it did he had to be ready to kill the one woman who stood in his way. The one person everyone still thought he couldn't beat. But he would. He would kill Ruby Rose. He reveled in the thought of putting an end to her life and proving to the world that he was better than her.

He spun around with the Sword of Damocles, sending a wave of energy that laid waste to a dozen beowolves. He pushed forward. With each slash, more Grimm would perish. Even after three days of activity these mites meant nothing to him.

He parried and skewered a beowolf. Then he spun and kicked a hole in an ursa. He flipped over the beast, slicing through a nemian like a saw blade. He dodged the stringer of a deathstalker. With a flick of his wrist and a feint, he cut the stinger off with a scythe construct then blasted to beast to oblivion. He danced around mantis Grimm, slicers, and with a spin he cut them down. He flashed his powers at a group of rampaging beringels. His silver eyes struck fear into their very essence. From there, removing their heads from their shoulders was as easy as swatting a fly.

His heart fluxed and he dropped to his knee. This was his limit. As the adrenaline wore off he felt his muscles screaming from over use. He coughed and wheezed as his lungs refilled with air. He punched the ground to keep himself awake, keeping himself from passing out. He squeezed his eyes shut and counted to ten. All the Grimm around his dissipated as the Redstone circuit was cut and they were ripped back from the realm from which they came.

"Again." Levi said after the breather. He stood up and downed his bottle of water.

"Sir, please…" Briggs pleaded from his safe spot.

"Again." Levi said as he tossed the bottle towards the observation deck.

"Levi." Isabella dropped down. "That's enough for now. You've been going for three days. No sleep, barely any food or water, just exercising and fighting. Please, take a rest, for me." She cupped his cheek. His silver eyes met her big purple saucers.

"Fine." He submitted.

"Your bios are good." Isabella grabbed his arm. "But your muscles are tense." She used her semblance to sooth them. "Let's get you out of this armor and into something more comfortable. It'll make relaxing them easier." Levi could sense Briggs rolling his eyes.

"No time for that dearie." Cloak said as she stepped from the shadows.

"Is it time?" Levi asked.

"Yes." She gave a massive smile. "The moment of MY victory is at hand."

"Your victory?" Isabella said.

"This has been my goal. But for you it's not the end. Consider this…the dawning of the third act." Cloak said with glee.

In an instant, they were in Cloak's study. The red metallic walls were engraved with glyphs too complicated for Levi to comprehend. Dust of all types over lapped and weaved in the complex language of mages. Dagger stood at an altar, his sword was embedded into it. A dozen pillars lined the octagonal room. Each of them with precious relics on them.

Along the far wall was the machine that held all the genetic samples. Pure bread Faunas were hard to come by. That's why finding people to get samples from was one of the first things Cloak had done when she started this little project. But the original samples had to be replaced. Luckily the Belladonna family were pure bread, and Blake had been all too willing to give some blood to the cause. Well, willing wasn't the right word. But Levi had laughed when he found out that in her eagerness to prevent their plans, she gave Dagger exactly what they needed. And as a bonus the wound that was inflicted was not one that could be reversed. She, a Faunas, had been stabbed with a blade of Abraham. She'd be lucky to walk again.

And the center piece of the entire display was a silver dagger. Levi had never seen it in person before. But it was the knife of Aero Seerlivey. She was Levi's ancestor and the one who first drowned Cipher in a pool of mystery.

"This took twenty-five years to make?" Isabella seemed unimpressed.

"It's not the sort of thing you can just copy from a book." Cloak said. "What we're about to do, no one has done before. Levi, I need you to channel your power into the dagger."

"To what end?" Levi asked.

"There's a soul in there that needs to be freed. From there, we'll be reconstructing it."

"Your master?" Levi guessed.

"Precisely." Cloak answered. Levi nodded. He knelt in front of the dagger and channeled his aura into it. "When I say three, break the seal."

"Understood."

"The four of us are the only team in the world that can do this." Cloak said more to herself than anyone. "One." The glyphs glowed in a sequence as Cloak utilized her powers. A knot in reality appeared a meter above the Aero's blade. Cloak was using her semblance in conjuncture with the glyphs. "Two." All the dust shifted around as Dagger used his semblance to warp the metal room. All the while Levi pushed his aura into the blade. He and these blades were linked. Everything came from Abraham, the first hunter. He was the Seerlivey, this blade would and did submit to him. "Three."

"Break." Levi said. The seal snapped. A Black Gate appeared where the warp was. Levi was pushed back. The room warped and shifted again. The machine activated.

"Come to me my fallen master." Cloak snapped her fingers. "Four." A trap door in the ceiling dropped as a mannequin made from nature dust fell into the portal. It was tethered to the ceiling with a dust chain.

"This is really intense." Isabella said as she shielded her eyes from the light as the dust radiated to life.

"Be ready to help him." Cloak said. "Five." The room shifted yet again. The sample machine wrapped around the Black Gate and was consumed by it. "Pierce the veil my master." She said with a shaky voice.

Lightning crackled and filled the room. Levi stood in front of Isabella and blocked with a shield construct. All the Redstone amulets disintegrated and formed around the portal. Eerie screams and monstrous howls echoed through the room. The portal warped and constricted into various shapes. The various strands of water and earth dust were pulled from the walls and ceiling and into the portal. The portal took the form of monsters. A wolf was the first, then a raven, then finally a man. But the man was formless and with monstrous limbs and tentacles. It continued to shriek and howl.

Redstone and black Grimm essence spewed from its every pore. It clawed along the ground, writhing in pain. Slowly but surely it got smaller and more human like. Soon it looked like the silhouette of a man.

"Just tell me when." Isabella said.

"Master of mages." Cloak chanted. "Rise, rise again."

"Well hope this was worth twenty years of buildup." Isabella said.

"Go now." Cloak said. The now humanlike ball of mass spun on the ground. Isabella ran to it and used her semblance. After several seconds of healing there was a pulse in power. Isabella was knocked backwards. The pools of black formed into Grimm. Levi readied his weapon but Cloak grabbed his wrist. The metal of the ceiling formed blades that skewered the Grimm.

"I've got the Grimm." Dagger said. "You just sit back and watch." This cycle continued for another hour. Then as that hour struck there was a pulse with no Grimm. Just a man. A depraved, sickly, skeletal husk of a man with white hair laid naked on the ground. Cloak ran to him and covered his body with a red shroud.

"Master?" She said.

"Where…" The being groaned. "What hell has the endless dream brought me to now."

"This is Remnant." Cloak said. "And it's no dream." She helped pick him up but the small girl couldn't do much for the tall lanky man. His hair was wild and he had a long white beard.

"You…" He said to her. Dagger and Isabella helped hold him up. Cloak was relieved of her duties and bowed before him. "I saw you in the endless dream." He said.

"It was no dream. Your soul was trapped within a blade of Abraham." Cloak responded.

"I see." His red eyes fixated on her. He put a hand atop her hooded head. "Well done my child." His eyes fixated on Levi. "Argentware, you are the Seerlivey are you not?"

"I am and I am the leader of Cipher."

"Good." The shriveled old man said. "What…what year is it."

"One-hundred and four." Levi answered. "Years after the Great War ended."

"How…how long have I…" He fell to his knees and put his hands to his eyes.

"Actual dates are unknown but you've been…for all intents and purposes…dead for two-thousand and five-hundred years to the day." Cloak responded to him. She put her forehead to his.

"I see." He said. "That is why I'm so weak."

"Your strength will return in time." Cloak said. "We'll be able to bring you to where and what you were when your soul was sealed."

"If you don't mind me asking…who are you?" Isabella asked.

"Sorry." The old man said. "Allow me to introduce myself." He stood and put a hand on Cloak's head to prop himself up. "I am the Alchemist of Argent Way, the Maestro of Menagerie, the Baron of Black Blood, the Wizard of West End, the Raja of Raven's Peak. The Father of Faunas." He took a deep breath. "My name is Avis Bran."

 **AN: Finally, we're 40 chapters in and finally revealed the big bad for this story. I'll say this, don't bother comparing him to Salem. He's a very different type of villain than she was. It'd be like comparing Thanos to Baron Zemo or more accurately, Kaguya to Orochimaru.**


	41. Selection

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: I've been busy. Did all the recording for my next RWBY video, made another Diary of Avis Bran video, been playing a lot of old Zelda while I save money for the new one, did a new Guardians of Terra chapter, and now this. This is a chapter I've been looking forward to making possible since about half way through volume 4.**

Chapter 41: Selection

Qrow sat in his office, a nice flask full of whisky sitting in his pocket. Winter, Raven and Oscar sat across from him. August leaned against the wall to the side. Ebony stood at Winter's side. It was a friendly get together. The conversation had been dominated by talk of the huntsmen game. Namely, talking up some big game for their picks. Only Winter and Tethys had finalized their picks. This was one situation where the councils worked faster than the headmasters.

Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, and Blake Belladonna would represent Vale with Yang. Sun Wukong, Dew Gayle, and Serp Manteen would represent Vacuo with August. That would be an interesting situation when Vale's elite's meet Vacuo's. Sun would be fighting his wife and his wife's best friend.

Jaune, Penny and Neon Katt would represent Mantle alongside the one who wore the mantra of Kraken now. The fact that the Kraken Qrow had been so fond of had passed, her maiden powers going who knows where, put a foul taste in his mouth. But it would also be interesting for Mantle and Vale to go head to head. JNPR was the only war-time team that had all its members in the tournament. That spoke volumes of their aptitude, and the aptitude of Winter, their superior officer in those days.

Lastly, Rio Azul, Sage Ayana and Reese Chloris were selected by Mistral alongside Scarlet David, AKA Beowulf. Of the hundreds of active duty huntsmen, the councils had picked these sixteen to represent the kingdoms past. All of them were war heroes with outstanding records. None of them quite the best. But Ruby had been taken off the table to be a proctor.

"So, have you decided on the first-year team yet?" Winter asked.

"I have two of the picks." He answered. "Johnny Clay and Citrine Rose."

"Of course, you'd pick the Argentware." Raven responded. "I wonder how many people will tune in just to watch their daughter."

"They're both in the top three in every single class they're in." Qrow defended. "Both prodigies in their own right. Plus, despite both being leaders, they have excellent chemistry and have collaborated on numerous projects."

"It seems the top two has been easy for all of us." Winter said. "It's that third spot that is killer." Winter took a drink of her wine. "Mavros is an average huntsman in every regard. But this isn't all about fighting power."

"Who's in the running?" Oscar asked.

"Well, Eiess and Topaz." Qrow answered. "I've also considered Nephrite Ren, Nova Wukong and Chernobog Night." He took a drink from his flask. Oscar took a drink of his coffee.

"I'd advise you picking Eiess." Winter said. "It'd be good for her to get that kind of exposure."

"She's had difficulties with her team lately." Qrow said. "That's the same reason why I cut Nova off my short list."

"Let's not forget the real purpose of these games." Oscar said as he looked to Raven. "We want people who can work best together. The Eye of Truth is on the line. Should Cipher come for it, we need to be ready." Winter pounded her fist to the table.

"Isn't this the same arrogance that got Beacon destroyed?" She seethed.

"Listen here ice queen." Raven said coldly. "Cipher has been hiding for too long. We've kept them from mounting an offensive but it's time to draw them, and their leader out of hiding."

"Didn't you have your top men on that for the last seventeen years." Winter looked at August. "And still no closer to knowing what it is they want."

"With all due respect…" August interrupted. "I have been out there and let me tell you, no one in this room can take on Vile alone. The only one who would stand a chance would be Ms. Sterling. And only because of her powers as the Winter Maiden."

"This isn't Salem we're fighting. They're just men, very powerful men." Oscar said. "So, stop acting like children. We are huntsmen. And we'll do whatever it takes to keep the peace so many died to forge."

"I don't know who you are, but I will not be talked down to like that." Winter stood. Oscar also got up slowly.

"I'm just a farm boy from Mistral." Oscar said. "That's all you need to know."

"Qrow, who is this guy." Winter pointed at Oscar. Qrow massaged his brow. This question was bound to come up. "He comes out of nowhere, secures one of the most sought after teaching positions in Haven, and is chosen to be here in Tethy's place. I thought Lionheart would…"

"Lionheart, felt he wasn't up for the task." Oscar said.

"That's a lie and you know it." Winter turned to him. "All you're doing is supervising kids. Yet, from the moment you got here you've tried calling shots."

"Ms. Winter please." Ebony pleaded with her mentor to calm down.

"And don't think I didn't notice this." She grabbed his cane.

"He's Ozpin's kid." Qrow said.

"Qrow!"

"She's the leader of Atlas Academy." Qrow said. "And the winter maiden is her right hand. As much as I hate to admit it…she has more of a right to know than any of your peers."

"Ozpin had a son?" Winter raised a brow.

"He's had a couple…in secret." Qrow said.

"Avarice liked to think of it as a contingency." Raven answered. "It worked similar to project AKAS."

"Genetic recreations of the mightiest warriors." Winter recalled. "Very well…you may have Ozpin's blood, you may have his semblance..."

"I do." Oscar confirmed.

"But you're not Ozpin. No more than I am my father. Which…may be for the best. I never exactly…liked…Ozpin."

"You and me both." Raven lifted her cup of bourbon in a toast. Qrow put his hands to his head.

"I just wish we knew anything about their plans. At least with Salem we knew where we stood with her." He sighed. The elevator to his office opened. Ruby and Penny stepped in.

"Uncle Qrow." Ruby said sternly. "Oh, hey Winter, Ebony, Oscar, August, Raven." She gave a polite nod to each of them.

"What's up pipsqueak?" Qrow asked. She rolled her eyes.

"It's about the Games."

"Please tell me you didn't add another deathtrap to the Valor Challenge." Qrow groaned.

"No it's not about that. It's about your selections."

"Calm down kiddo, your baby girl will have her time to shine."

"No not her…I mean, I'm glad to hear but…never mind. I know this is unorthodox but I want to make a recommendation." She said.

"I think he's…" Oscar started but Qrow cut him off.

"Your advice is always welcome." Qrow said.

"I want Nova Wukong to be part of the team." Ruby said.

"Nova?" Qrow blinked his one good eye.

"I've been training with her." Ruby says. "She's ready for this level of competition. She showed excellent teamwork when they fought Mercury."

"Johnny Clay was my first pick to represent that class." Qrow responded. "He and Citrine work well together. That's what I based my decision on. Nova's hotheaded, impulsive, and most damning of all, does not get along with Johnny."

"She'll set that aside for a chance to compete." Ruby said. "She reminds me a lot of myself. I've talked with her at length. Above all else she wants to be the best. If you cut her out, it'll devastate her."

"She reminds me more of Yang than you." Qrow said. "And those fragile feelings of hers make her volatile. This isn't Vacuo. The Huntsmen Games aren't about how hard you can punch something."

"No, it's about valor, strength, wisdom, ingenuity and…"

"Cooperation." Oscar finished. "If she can't work with her own team than Professor Branwen has every right to bar her from the Huntsmen Games."

"I'm not backing down on this." Ruby said. "Valor: She jumps into danger every chance she sees. When something bad is happening, she is incapable of standing down. Strength: She worships it. She has taken the Vacuo ideals to heart and built her whole life around it. To the point where I am the only adult figure she wholeheartedly respects."

"Is that so?" Winter stated.

"Has she ever addressed any of you as professor, or mister or miss?" Ruby asked. "I don't think she's ever used my name without some kind of honorific."

"Hero worship is one thing, strength is another." Oscar said.

"Okay fine, she hits really, really hard too." Ruby stated. "Ingenuity: Her ability to adapt to battle, to use various gadgets and techniques together in on a level far above her age range. Wisdom: She has already displayed considerable problem solving skills in her class and from what my daughter has told me, offered plenty of wise words to her peers during the dance."

"I conversed with her too." Oscar said. "She's got a good head and a big heart when she wants it to be." Oscar sighed. "But it might not be enough."

"I'm sure Johnny Clay has that part covered." Raven said.

"That's not your call." Qrow said.

"Oh brother, Nova Wukong is a student of an Arbiter. I'm pulling for her too. And I'd hope that my daughter has done more than just teaching her how to hit hard."

"That still leaves cooperation." Oscar said.

"It may seem like a work in progress…but let her in." Ruby pleaded. "I know she won't let you, her team, or this school down. Besides I know that Ventus Grinnitch will be on the same team. There's no need for a mage like Eiess with her on the roster."

Qrow sighed. That was a whole different bag of worms Qrow would have to deal with in private with his sister. She had no right to keep Ventus a secret for so long. Now, when she says that Ventus is not the Summer Maiden, Qrow has a hard time believing her. 'Oh, you need to focus on your job as headmaster while Oscar is groomed to take over.' She had argued. It still pissed Qrow off that he missed out on a chance to raise a kid. Then again, Octavia had been territorial and they weren't exactly on speaking terms for the last seven or so years of her life.

"You bring up a good point." He said. "Sorry Ice Queen."

"I'm not mad so long as Eiess isn't mad." Winter said. "I knew that you had quite the batch of students this year. Just know that I'll be throwing everything I have at you."

"I doubt Eiess will be mad. She's a bit on cloud nine right now." Ruby laughed. "I don't think anything will bring her down."

"What do you mean?" Winter asked.

"Oh um, nothing." Ruby grinned. "A mother always knows. Especially when there's a sleepover involved."

"Excuse me?" Winter crossed her arms.

"Best for Eiess to fill you in on the details."

"Very well." Winter turned towards Penny. "Is Rubrum done designing the Ingenuity Challenge?"

"He's challenge ready." Penny saluted. "All the supplies are en route." Penny put her hand down. "Sadly, he won't be here."

"It's as I instructed. Someone has to keep the kids who didn't travel in line."

"We're talking about Rubrum Snappes right?" August scoffed. Everyone ignored the jab at his old teammate.

"I'll present the challenge." Ebony said. "It'd give me something to do since I turned down the council's offer to fight. Wouldn't be fair for a maiden to represent the kingdom, right Ruby?"

"Yeah." Ruby scratched the back of her head. "Not a trained one at least."

"Summer is still MIA." Raven said. "Perhaps this tournament can expose who the power now belongs to."

"It's a dangerous game you keep playing Nevermore." Winter stated.

"Indeed, I say, we submit our final rosters tomorrow. The Huntsmen Games will commence in just a few more days."

 **AN: This chapter was longer than I wanted it to be. But this is the only chance we'll get to pick the headmasters' brains for a long time. I hope you enjoyed my take on Oscar. There's going to be more of him in the future, not a lot more, but more.**


	42. The Teams are Set

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: We're ten chapters away from the end of this arc. Like before, after this arc ends ther'll be a hiatus so I can do more chapters in Guardians of Terra.**

Chapter 42: The Teams Are Set

Topaz was bored. She had taken to the lounge and was practicing her semblance by moving a cup's worth of water from glass to glass. Scott's eyes bounced as he followed the trailer back and forth. Ariadne played a quiet song on her flute. Eiess, Citrine, Nova and Johnny were playing a video game on the couch. Eiess was leaning her head-on Citrine's shoulder.

They looked cute together. Ever since the dance they had been dating. Now with the semester coming to an end, Eiess had been begging Citrine to come to Atlas with her for break. It was clear to everyone, especially Topaz, that Eiess was definitely the needier of the two. Citrine had been a lot more casual and always slow to initiate affection.

"Hourra!" Nova yelled as she leaped in the air. She pointed a finger at Johnny. "I beat you!"

"You've got to be kidding me, that's such a cheap move."

"It's in the game so it's allowed." Nova said.

"If I did that you'd be hurling all kinds of explitives." Johnny argued.

"You mad?" She stuck her tongue out at him. Topaz smiled. Everyone was in a good mood.

"Best two out of three." Johnny said.

"You're on!" Nova accepted the challenge. "Citrine."

"Oh, yeah, I've got another round in me." Citrine said. "How about you Eiess?"

"I think I'm done with this game." Eiess sighed. "I just want to sit here and relax."

"Suit yourself." Citrine said. The door opened.

"Someone's in a good mood." Ruby said as she walked in. Blake, Yang and some student Topaz hadn't seen before were right behind her.

"I beat these guys in a game of "Smash." She said proudly.

"Congrats?" Ruby shrugged with a small laugh. "Anyway, turn on the news. They're announcing the participants of the tournament." She said. Citrine switched the television.

"Let's start with the first-year bracket." Aer Flynn, the TV host, said. "Starting with Shade we have Akhdir Eimlaq of Oasis, Ramil Hadid of the Black Sands, Rasa Mano of Vacuo City and joining them is Kokh Shonkir."

"I know all those guys to some extent." Nova pounded her fist. Akhdir was a large dark-skinned man with goat hooves. Ramil was a girl with a mane of black hair. Topaz recognized Rasa as one of Nova's friends from the dance. Kokh had stylish blue hair and wore traditional clothes.

"So, August's little protégé is repping for Vacuo." Yang said.

"August huh." Topaz said. That means he was sure to be highly skilled.

"Next is Atlas, Cero Calor from Mantle City, Mavros Kane from Corinth, and Deus Machina from Atlas City. They will be accompanied by Suchen Issachar from Dragna."

Cero was a young girl with blue eyes short hair that was red on one side and white on the other. She wore a fancy shirt dress pants. Mavros, Topaz recognized from the dance. He was plain looking with brown hair and matching eyes. Deus was a cyborg with orange hair and mechanical eyes. Suchen wore a white shirt with the collar popped and a brown vest. He also sported cool shades that matched his vest.

"I know Cero and Deus." Eiess said. "But I don't believe I've met Mavros."

"Representing Haven…" Flynn continued. "Tetsu Raion from Kuchinashi, Verdant Lee from Higanbana, and Fen Bagong from Windfall. They will be joined by Kiefer Nadel of Dragna."

"Nice to see that Lee guy make it." Topaz said. "He seemed rather earnest." And his team looked impressive too. Tetsu didn't look out of the ordinary but he was handsome and built. Fen Had long pink hair tied in a bun, with bangs covering one eye. Kiefer, she looked like she had never seen a brush in her life.

"Finally, representing Beacon in Johnny Clay from Riverside, Citrine Rose from Patch, and Nova Wukong from Vacuo."

"Me?" Nova said. "I MADE IT!" She screamed and hugged the nearest person, which happened to be Eiess.

"Congratulations." Blake said as she stepped forward. And hugged her. Nova clinched up a bit but let it happen, even returned the hug.

"Joining them will be Ventus Grinnitch of Dragna." Flynn finished. It was the same girl who had joined the adults.

"Don't think this means you're hot stuff." Ventus said. "You only made it because Ruby asked the headmaster to pick you." Nova backed up and looked at Ruby.

"Ms. Rusby, is it true?" Nova said.

"I recommended you, and argued in your favor." Ruby said. She gave a toothy grin and wink. "Impressing the greatest huntress alive is no small feat." She said. Nova averted her silver eyes and blushed.

"So, I didn't make the cut?" Eiess said.

"I'm afraid not." Ruby said.

"I don't know why?" Ventus said. "You'd be a much better fit than Nova."

"Kuso." Nova grabbed Ventus around the collar.

"Nova." Blake said. Ruby's eyes fell on the duo.

"See this? This is why you shouldn't be a part of this." Ventus said.

"You started this." Johnny put his hand on Nova's shoulders. "Nova can be difficult, but I wouldn't have her any other way. You on the other hand, I know nothing about. But I'm willing to put up with it so long as you don't disrespect my team, my friends. Because Team JANS makes up half of our team. It makes sense for me to take point."

"I agree." Citrine said. "Johnny's the better tactician than me. If he has faith that we'll win, I have no right to complain and neither do you." Nova let Ventus go.

"I just got an idea." Topaz said. "We should make signs, hats, shirts, anything we can to show our support."

"Remember there's five brackets, five teams per school." Yang said. "And your old man is heading up Mistral's pro team."

"Ah, he'll be fine." Topaz waved her off.

"Well I am going to have a hard time not cheering for Vacuo in the other brackets." Nova said as she put a fist to her chest.

"Your mom and I will be fighting for Vale." Yang said.

"All the more reason." Nova crossed her arms. "Wait, I thought you couldn't fight anymore?"

"What?" Ruby said. Yang put a hand to Nova's mouth.

"It's the leg injury." Yang said suspiciously. "She's not at one-hundred percent. But we have some cybernetics to make her well enough for a friendly competition."

"Oh." Ruby said. "Well, don't blame me if I have to cheer Atlas on."

"How come?" Citrine asked.

"Your father is fighting for that team."

"Really?" Citrine lit up.

"Wait, why not Vale?" Johnny asked.

"Well, he made a reputation for himself up there during the war. And they paid him more and you know…mother of five needs all the help she can get." Ruby swooned. "By the way, Eiess, since I'm a proctor and Jaune's a challenger, can you be a dear and help watch the kids?"

"Gladly." Eiess said.

"Jaune's sisters are on call if you need anything. But they'll all be here for the Games. Prim and Glade can take care of themselves. I just need someone to watch Argent and Gelb while Jaune and I are busy."

"It's no problem." Eiess said as she grabbed Citrine's hand.

"I know it's not." Ruby sighed with content.

"The Games start tomorrow. So, be ready for anything." Yang said.

"I'm sure they will be." Topaz wrapped her arms around Nova and Johnny.

"First up is my challenge." Ruby gave a thumb's up. "Don't think I'll be taking it easy on you just because I like you all."

"I wouldn't have it any other way Ms. Ruby." Nova said sternly.

 **AN: I am absolutely drained. I seriously just, can't even do a Topaz chapter yet. She's so inconsequential in this arc. All the awesome stuff I have for her is in next arc. Oh well, the games will finally begin next chapter and take up the rest of the arc.**


	43. Valor

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: Let the games begin. This chapter will feature the first challenge of the huntsmen games with the pro-huntsmen bracket. Next chapter will feature our leads doing the challenge.**

Chapter 43: Valor

Nephrite found her way to her seat. Rosaline was strapped to her torso and was currently trying to gnaw on the older sister's chin. Lanmei and Chénzi hyad already reserved their seats. Nephrite sat at the end of the Ren line. Topaz sat next to her. Citrine and Eiess were next to her. Gelb sat on Eiess' lap. Argent sat next to Citrine, followed by Prim and Glade.

The stadium was bustling with noise. The massive coliseum was roughly a kilometer in length. The pit of the arena was shrouded in darkness. Only the stands had light on them. Nephrite was curious what was in store for the competitors. Five challenges testing five virtues of a huntsman. The challenges themselves were designed by top tier huntsmen. The proctors hadn't been announced but Nephrite knew this first challenge was designed by Ruby.

Two notes of a piano played together. The wind in the stadium picked up until it was a gust. The piano rift built up as the lights shined to the top of a tower in the middle of the stadium. A cloud of rose petals gathered up and took form.

"Hello Remnant!" Ruby cheered into the mic to a thunderous applause.

"Mom always did like a dramatic entrance." Prim said.

"Valor, great courage in the face of danger. It was the people of ancient Vale who first braved the wilds in search of food. There, they were the first to encounter the Grimm and they were the first to fight against them. While others may hide in their cities in villages, it is the huntsmen that carry on this fight. We brave the most dangerous corners, right outside the walls, to keep the people safe. Without bravery, we can't fight, we can't grow, we wouldn't be able to do anything but stay in stasis. What kind of life would that be?"

"Amen." Citrine said.

"The first challenge in the Huntsmen Games will test this most important virtue." Ruby continued. The lights flashed on the entire stadium. The obstacle course was massive, covering the entire arena. There were saw blades and spikes and robotic sharks jumping back and forth.

"Wow!" Chénzi gleamed.

"Mom, you are too much." Prim put her hand to her face.

"This is an obstacle course. Each team will line up in one of the four entrances. They'll send one person out at a time. When that person reaches the end, the next person can go. We'll be ranking the teams based on overall time, and average time."

"All of us are going to have to run that?" Citrine said.

"At least they're having the adults do it first." Nephrite said. "My father should do fine with it. He'll probably go first for team Vale, just to set the pace."

"Now, let the games begin. And don't forget to give my darling husband a big round of applause for Team Mantle."

She scattered with a thunderous boom. The crowd cheered as heroes of legend lined up at the entrances. Ren, Nora, Yang and Blake lined up for Vale. August, Sun, Dew, and Serp lined up for Vacuo. Jaune, Neon, Penny and Sapphire lined up for Mantle. Reese, Rio, Sage and Scarlet lined up for Mistral.

"Go Dad!" Topaz cheered.

"Come on mom, knock them dead!" Chénzi screamed.

"Win one for the home team pops!" Lánméi shouted.

"You can do it Dad!" Citrine was cheering.

"Come on Nephrite." Chénzi punched her arm.

"Go Team Vale!" Nephrite halfheartedly cheered.

"Yes!" Chénzi cheered.

"On your mark, get set, GO!" Ruby shouted into the mic.

The screens that lined the stadium divided into four displays covering each team's path. Ren was the first out of the gate. He ran past the arrows, nimbly dodging them while August followed suit on his end. Jaune and Reese were hit. Jaune was the first to press forward, using his semblance to guard his flanks.

Next was the saw blades. Ren took his time and was patient. August flew right over the blades' path. Reese followed suit and pulled into second place by using her hoverboard. Ren reached the end. Jaune lagged behind.

The next step was the tower. August was able to further his lead by flying strait up. Reese followed suit. Ren made his way up with a series of massive jumps. Jaune struggled to get up the tower.

"Use your semblance!" Citrine yelled.

"Come on!" Glade yelled.

Jaune launched himself with a canon blast. Everyone else was walking along a precarious tightrope. Ren ran at full speed while August and Reese flew across it. Nephrite wondered how Jaune would handle this situation, and she wasn't disappointed. He cut the rope and swung across, past the other tower and into the next tower, where he fell and hit every ledge on the way down.

"That looked like it hurt." Lánméi said.

But Jaune was now in the lead. August and Reese's advantage was done as they were forced to go into a narrow corridor where the walls opened and closed. All four of them were forced to take their time. The walls moved out of sync, making it impossible to build a rhythm. August was practically halted in his progress. Jaune powered through it but not without taking a lot of damage. Ren was the first one through, followed by Reese than Jaune and finally August.

The mechanical sharks were an interesting challenge. Ren slid underneath them. August flew above them. Reese timed it right to go through them. Jaune caught his breath than rolled past them.

Ren was the first one through the final challenge, a maze. August was second. Jaune was third. Reese was forth. That signaled the next batch. Nora blasted her way through the challenges having seen both Ren and Jaune work. Neon moved quickly at a massive pace, never missing a beat. Sun and Rio took a long time to get through the course. Neon had the best time but Nora's head start allowed her to reach the finish line first.

As Yang and Penny moved forward, Nephrite saw the trick. The best course of action was to keep moving. The more you stop, the more you lose your rhythm. Not only that, but each path had its own rhythm. As Yang and Penny, followed shortly by Sage and Dew, moved forward, Nephrite picked up on the beat. It was the same beat as the song that introduced Ruby.

Penny reached the end in record time. Yang arrived shortly after. Sapphire moved very much the same as August. She used gravity dust to propel her movements. Because of that she was able to move without stopping. But she also moved slowly. Blake on the other hand moved at a decent pace. She used her semblance to avoid any hiccups the obstacles threw.

Blake and Sapphire finished right as Serp began for Vacuo and Scarlet was only half way through. As Serp crossed the finish line, all the times appeared on screen. Overall, Penny had the best individual time. Vale had the best overall time and the best average. Point values were attached to these times. In first place, right off the bat was Vale. Then Mantle was in second place with Vacuo in dead last.

"Let this be a lesson to you." Ruby took stage once again. "These challenges look daunting. But through bravery, and a little bit of thinking, you can overcome any obstacle. Against the Grimm, or any other enemy out there, if you hesitate for even a second you can get hurt. Here, it was just precious seconds on the line. Out there, it'll be people's lives."

"Second place isn't bad." Eiess said.

"I have a stake in both Vale and Atlas so…I'm doing really good."

"Kuso." Nova was cursing up a storm. "If that were me…"

"You'd be benefitting Team Vale." Topaz interrupted her.

"Stupid dad…how could he lose like that?"

"Your dad did fine." Topaz said. "Not as good as Neph's old man." Topaz put an arm around her. Nephrite just sighed in resignation.

"I think I would have done well for this challenge." Nephrite said.

"Johnny's going to kill in this challenge." Citrine said.

"Oh, I can't wait." Nova said. She pointed up at the scoreboard. "The bar is set. Any bets that any of us pass up any of those times."

"I'll take that wager." Citrine said. "I think, so long as I get the rhythm right from watching Johnny, my semblance will make this a breeze."

"Well, we'll find out in less than an hour." Topaz said.

 **AN: And that's a good stopping point. Next time, team CNJV, I haven't really thought up a good name for them. I made these characters to be part of their own teams. The idea of smashing these teams together came later.**


	44. Race to the Finish

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: Last chapter went well I think. Hopefully this chapter will go better. I don't have much to say for the next few chapters. I do know I just got the new Zelda so…that's going to be my life for a while.**

Chapter 44: Race to the Finish

Citrine stood in the back of the line. Worst comes to worst she can get through pretty fast in a clutch. Johnny was in front. Then was Nova. Ventus was right in front of Citrine. Deus led the Atlas team, followed by Suchen, Mavros then Cero. For Shade, it was Kokh, Akhdir, Rasa then Ramil. Verdant led the Haven charge followed by Kiefer, Tetsu then Fen.

"All right kids." Ruby said. "I didn't take it easy on my friends so don't think I'll be taking it easy just because I'm fond of some of you." She winked at Citrine. "Just keep moving forward and don't over think this."

"Taking point." Deus said as he got in a four-point stance.

"On your mark." Ruby said.

"Just find the path and we'll handle the rest." Nova said.

"Get set."

"You can do this Verdant!" Fen cheered.

"Go!"

All four took off at the same time. Deus' limbs glowed with energy and rockets activated on his hands and feet. He spun in an aerial roll, dropping bombs to blast through the obstacles. Kokh bobbed and weaved but was hit by an arrow and fell. Verdant powered through only to get hit with a saw blade. Johnny moved at a brisk pace, dodging every obstacle. Citrine watched his movements and tried committing them to memory.

"That's not fair." Ventus said.

"What's not fair?" Kiefer asked.

"That Deus kid is blowing everything up." She pointed to the wanton destruction that Atlas' cyborg member.

"Don't get your panties in a twist just because you didn't think of it." Suchen taunted.

"Hmmm…" Ruby put a finger to her lips. "I didn't say he couldn't break the course…I'll allow it. Kid has spunk, I like that."

"Yes!" Mavros said.

Deus was hit by a pendulum and launched into the air. He spun in the air and unleashed a barrage of missiles. Everyone passed him up by a wide margin as he spent the time to clear the path. Johnny crossed the finish line and Nova ran out of the gate.

She pulled out her swords and blocked the arrows from both ends. Kiefer and Akhdir were right behind her. She moved faster than they did. Akhdir took a page from Deus book and proceeded to blast everything in his path.

"Mom!" Citrine said.

"Eh, it's the last bracket for this challenge." Ruby shrugged. "Go nuts sweetie."

Citrine grumbled. They didn't have anybody with that much firepower. Maybe Topaz if she were here would have that advantage. Ventus didn't seem too pleased at Ruby either. Deus had crossed the finish line and Suchen was able to move through it in a breeze. Nova followed Johnny's rhythm and got through without much hindrance.

Ventus howled as she blasted off, aided by her own telekinetic semblance to wreck the place to the best of her abilities. Akhdir and Suchen crossed at the same time. Tetsu and Rasa went out the gate. Rasa had an easy time now that Akhdir had cleared the worst of it. Tetsu was able to move at an amazing pace. All the projectiles just bounced off him.

"Go!" Nova screamed the second Ventus crossed the line. Citrine realized she was the last person out the gate. Fen and Cero had left and caught up with Ventus. Citrine noticed that all the projectiles on one side had been cleared. She nodded her head and scattered.

She used her shield to take whatever hits she couldn't dodge. She maneuvered through the course at supersonic speed. She passed up Mavros and Rasa on the way. Even though their way was more clear, Citrine was untouchable when she was on point. And thanks to Johnny's rhythm, she was on point now more than ever.

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" She heard Nova shout. Citrine corkscrewed up the precarious walkway. She was close. She was so close to actually winning this for her team. Just as they had planned. Then, just as the finish line was in sight, her legs gave out.

"What." She muttered as she fell face first. Cero crossed the finish line with ease, ceiling the victory for Atlas. Fen finished in the time it took Citrine to pick herself up and cross the line. Ramil followed closely behind her, barely claiming fourth.

"KUSO!" Nova dropped to her knees. The scores were tallied up. Right now, they were in third place for the bracket and overall. They were only a few seconds ahead of Mistral now. "What the hell happened?" Nova grabbed Citrine around the collar. "You were so close to rubbing it into those Atlas pricks."

"Enough." Ventus said.

"Yeah Nova, sorry it didn't pan out." Ruby said.

"It's not that." Ventus' eyes went red. Suchen went flying into the wall. "Suchen Issachar you slime…did you think I wouldn't notice you using your semblance with those stupid sunglasses on."

"What are you on about?" Nova said.

"She's right." Johnny said.

"Oh…" Ruby sighed. "I was worried this might happen."

"Ms. Ruby, he should be disqualified." Nova said.

"No can do." Ruby answered. "It's allowed. All use of semblance is allowed in all challenges. Just like how August and Sapphire were allowed to fly in the first challenge."

"Kuso!" Nova face palmed.

"That's alright." Ventus dropped Suchen. "I won't forget this. When we clash in future rounds, I'll blast through you like I do everyone else."

"Keep saying that princess." Suchen said. "Your talents won't carry you to the finish line."

"No but her team will." Johnny said.

"I don't need your…" Ventus protested but Johnny put a hand on her mouth. "We're only twenty percent of the way through this competition. This was just a warm up. And now…I know what each of you can do."

"I doubt that." Cero said. "Even so, we got just as good a look at you as you did us."

"I don't think you did." Johnny smirked.

"I grow tired of this." Akhdir said. "You all competed well."

"Coming from last place." Ventus said.

"Dang it Ventus." Citrine and Kokh face palmed at the same time.

"Actually, overall we're in last place." Verdant said. "But we'll be fighting harder. Just as we are only a few points behind you in Beacon next time you'll be a few more seconds behind us. There's nothing that can extinguish my hope!"

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Ruby cheered. "I like you kid, Verdant, right?"

"Yes Ms. Rose."

"It's Mrs. Rose-Arc formally."

"Yes Mrs. Rose-Arc." Verdant bowed.

"Please just…call me Ruby, or Mrs. Ruby."

"Yes Mrs. Ruby." He said. "Thank you for being our proctor and so lenient on the methods we each used."

"Everyone's gotta be brave in whatever way they can. If bravery is a shield, make it a damn good shield. If it's quick feet…" Her eyes looked to Nova. "Run fast to your goal."

"Excellent advice." Deus said. He was writing on a notepad.

"Are you writing what she says?" Cero laughed.

"It's wise to take notes from those more experienced than you." Deus said. "We can't all be prodigies or born with advantageous semblances. If I'm going to be the best huntsman of my generation I should take notes from the best of last generation."

"When you say it like that, it makes me feel really old." Ruby said as she slumped down. "I'm not even forty yet and all these kids treat me like a relic from the past."

"You're not even forty?" Kiefer spat out. Ruby's face went glum.

"It's alright mom. No need to have a midlife crisis."

"Even my own daughter." Ruby said.

"Well forget all that." Nova said. "You, tinman, you said you want to be the strongest. Well you'll have to get through me first." She said resolutely. "I'm going to be the best. And I have the advantage as her student."

"And way to paint a target on your back." Citrine facepalmed. "This is why my mom waited until I made my weapon to tell me about my heritage."

"Nova…" Akhdir.

"I don't believe we've been formally introduced." Nova responded. "Akhdir Eimlaq, your reputation proceeds you."

"I'm glad that even in a kingdom content with hiding behind its mountains, the fires of Vacuo burn bright in your eyes just as it does for your father. But I am Vacuan too. And when we meet, don't take it personally when my smash semblance sends you to the stratosphere."

"Well then…" Nova grinned. "Don't take it personally when I come back down and crack your skull."

"On that note…" Ruby cut off the conversation. "I look forward to seeing how you get through what Felix has in store for you." She covered her mouth and whispered. "But you didn't hear that from me." She winked at them. "Anyway, it's been a blast but I think I owe my girls some food and I haven't seen my precious baby boy all day."

Everyone went their separate ways. Citrine followed Ruby and Nova as they walked to the airship. Eiess was waiting there with all of Citrine's siblings. Eiess ran up to her with Gelb in her hands. Ruby snatched him up and peppered him with kisses as Eiess gave Citrine a peck. It was nice. Citrine still wasn't sure if this is what love was supposed to feel like. Regardless, it was wonderful to be so thoroughly appreciated.

"You did well." Eiess said.

"Aunt Yang said that Suchen was always a pretentious a-hat." Primm said.

"She shouldn't talk about her students like that." Ruby put a hand on Prim's head. "Now, where's your father?"

"He's sleeping." Prim answered.

"Tell him to get up. I'm going to take us all out to dinner." She looked to Citrine. "Eiess, Nova, you're welcome to come of course."

"Thank you, and I'll pay for mine and Citrine's meals. She deserves it after the rough slip she had today." Eiess said.

"Awe…if I didn't want it to be a family outing I'd just chaperone you two."

"There'll be plenty of opportunities I'm sure." Eiess said.

"Have you told your mom yet?"

"I'm holding off on that until I see her in person." Eiess admitted. "But I told Aunt Winter. If she's fine with it, I know Weiss is."

"I'll never not be impressed at how much more anal Winter is than Weiss. When I first met her, I didn't know that was possible." Ruby laughed. Eiess gave a chuckle as she laced her fingers through Citrine's.

"I love you Eiess." Citrine said it first this time just to see if it felt right. It didn't feel bad, and it definitely felt something. But it wasn't exactly what she was looking for. Then Eiess lit up and Citrine remembered why she even joined this relationship.

"I love you too."

 **AN: I wanted to make these competitors more than just bots for the action scenes. So, this was a good chance at getting some stuff in early. Next two chapters will cover the next challenge.**


	45. Survival

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: Alright, this chapter is going to introduce the next challenge and provide some backdrop stuff for Remnant as a whole, and show it from a spectator view, namely Topaz's. Also, Breath of the Wild is amazing.**

Chapter 45: Survival

Topaz thought it odd that all the lights were on in the stadium already. What was even stranger, was that the square kilometer was empty. Stranger still is that all competitors were asked to meet up in the hangar.

"What do you think this challenge is going to be?" Eiess asked as she fed Gelb his bottle.

"Don't know." Nephrite said as her fist got chewed on by Rosaline.

"I think it has something to do with strength." Topaz said.

"I would think that means we're going to see some fighting." Prim noted.

"This still doesn't add up." Topaz said.

"Did you ask Citrine?" Nephrite asked.

"She doesn't know." Eiess answered.

"All the challenges are supposed to be surprises." Prim said.

"Ooh, I love surprises." Topaz said.

Just then someone came out from beneath the stadium. He had short black hair and looked to be a little older than their parents. He still looked handsome and maintained. A cat tail waved back and forth from his pants. He wore the Vacuo insignia.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen." A good number of people cheered. "For those who don't know me, allow me to introduce myself. I am Felix Striter, former headmaster of Shade and governor of Vacuo."

"Former?" Topaz asked.

"Through strength our chains are broken. Through strength we survive. Remnant is a dangerous place. We Vacuans have a saying, 'If you can survive out here, you're welcomed.' The strength to survive out in the wilderness is a virtue required of those we call defenders."

"I can sea that." Topaz said. "Sea…get it…cuz I'm…"

"Always traveling by boat." Nephrite said flatly.

"I thought it was funny." Topaz crossed her arms.

"This challenge will test this ability." Felix said. "We set up a perimeter around Forever Fall and Emerald Forest. Five square kilometers. Each bracket will be going simultaneously within a square kilometer each. They will be dropped with nothing but their weapons, an empty knapsack, and an empty flask. They will spend the night out in those forests. They will be graded based on their efficiency and abilities to find food, shelter and water for the night."

"That sounds dangerous." Eiess said.

"Hmm…" Nephrite said. "That doesn't sound too challenging. The Grimm in those parts are weak. But if they're being judged on…"

"And they don't know this yet but sometime in the night they will be attacked by us proctors." He said.

"What!" Eiess said.

"Ruby's a proctor." Nephrite said. "So even for the professionals it could be challenging."

"To have made it here they must have been the best and brightest of their class. But the real world doesn't care about rank. I've seen an entire army wiped out by a single man. Seen routine missions get overran by Grimm way above their paygrade. A huntsman must be ready for everything, even in a controlled environment."

"That's insane." Eiess said.

"That's reasonable." Nephrite said.

"And for your viewing pleasure, you can watch the real time stream from any device…OR, you can watch it here on the holographic mat I'm currently standing on.

"I think this should have been the last one." Eiess said.

"I think they're going around the horn." Topaz said. She thought about this and the Vale challenge. "If I'm right, whatever the Arbiter challenge is, will be next. And it'll end in Mistral."

"That's the same route the festival host goes." Eiess said. "I think you're on to something."

"Mistral is all about skill as well. Not raw strength or durability like Vacuo. All our fighting traditions are about skill and avoiding damage."

"I know." Nephrite said. "My parents are from Mistral."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but their village got destroyed when they were young. My mom says she doesn't remember much before that night, but that's how she met my dad."

"Awe, that's kind of tragic but also kind of adorable."

"Yeah, after that they moved to Vale and lived here ever since. My mom went full native but my dad still holds Mistral near to his heart."

"My family has always been tied to Mistral." Topaz said. "I actually got a little sick of it. That's why I came here instead of Haven."

"Well I'm glad you did." Nephrite said. Rosaline tossed to bight down on her shoulder instead.

"I have no idea how you put up with that."

"It's easier than it looks. Certainly, easier than if she were to stop."

"What do you mean?" Topaz asked. Nephrite pulled the toddler off her. Rosaline proceeded to scream in a high-pitched voice. Nephrite put her back so she could suckle on her shoulder again. "Yikes."

The holograms lit up and the screens sparked to life. Topaz took quick glance around at the other teams. All the adults were contempt at setting up camps beneath the trees. Clearly, they were confident that if trouble rose, they'd handle it. Blake, Yang, Ren and Nora were already sitting around a fire pit, that was ready to light.

The first-year teams on the other hand were in a panic. Most of them weren't used to working together, especially with each team containing an Arbiter student. Even so, there seemed to be some emergent leaders. Akhdir seemed to be calling the shots for Shade. Ramil had no qualms and kept a neutral face. Topaz sympathized with her. She could tell that the dark-haired girl had no delusions of grandeur. Yet, she had a sort of confidence even in Akhdir's imposing presence. Rasa and Kokh just seemed happy to be there.

Haven was working efficiently. Fen looked to be doing very little aside from setting up their shelter. Kiefer was fishing. Verdant and Tetsu were handling the fire. When Kiefer came back with a batch of fish, Fen took them from her and started cooking them.

Atlas looked the worst for wear. Cero, Deus and Suchen were all arguing about something. Mavros was getting in between them trying to ease tensions. It was an absolute mess, a far cry from the teamwork they displayed in the first challenge.

Beacon was lucky, granted Citrine had camped in the area before. They took shelter in the cave and worked to gather berries and fruit. Citrine's herbology class was finally getting to pay off. Much like half the Shade team, they all seemed to be glad to be outdoors, even if they weren't so happy about being around each other.

To that, Topaz couldn't tell. There was no audio. Had she been on her scroll she probably could have picked which teams to follow and the audio would play accordingly. Otherwise, having audio would be a cluster of noise. After a minute the sound came on the screens. They were switching back and forth between the twenty competing teams. Certainly, it was an improvement over the silence from before.

"When do you think, we'll see some action?" Topaz asked.

"I think…" Nephrite contemplated the question. "The purpose of this test is to assess strength, readiness and survival. So, when all the players are settling down for the night…I think that's when it'll happen."

"I hope Citrine does well." Eiess said. Prim laughed at her. "Don't laugh at me." Eiess groaned.

"It's just…wow you are just too into my sister." Prim shook her head. "Not that I'm complaining just…come on, she's strong. She'll handle it."

"I hope you're right." Eiess said. "It's not that I'm worried she'll get hurt…it's that I'm worried she'll lose again. I don't want to see her sad again." Prim snickered.

"Do you need me to take Gelb so you can have some alone time with her pic…." Eiess put a hand over Prim's mouth.

"You shouldn't be speaking like that young lady."

"I'm only two years younger than you." Prim slapped Eiess' hand away.

"Quiet." Topaz said. Nephrite nodded. The Atlas team seemed to be gazing in the direction of Citrine and the others.

 **AN: I really wish I could do Prim and Glade more. For the sake of my sanity, the boys (Chénzi, Glade and Argent) are sitting with someone else. I'm going to try to incorporate Prim a lot more, she is sort of the Ruby to Citrine's Yang and I do have big things in store for her down the road.**


	46. Need to Be Strong

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: So, this is going to get more in depth on how our protagonists are dealing with this challenge and the challenges within their own lives.**

Chapter 46: Need to Be Strong

Nova sat by the campfire picking at the berries Citrine had gathered. Night had fallen over the forest. The howls of distant Grimm echoed in the distance. She was completely aware of her surrounds. Her night vision gave her an edge in these circumstances. Mix that with Johnny's logical mind and Citrine's familiarity with the surroundings, and they had this in the bag.

"Ah…" Citrine stretched out as she got an apple. "This is my favorite challenge. I don't know how it gets better than this." She sighed. She took a bite of the apple. "It's just like when I would camp with my family."

"That sounds peachy." Ventus said as she took a bite of her apple.

"So, Ventus, tell us a little about yourself." Citrine said.

"Not much to say."

"That's a lie." Citrine laughed. "I heard you're related to Qrow and Yang. That makes us practically related yet I never heard of you until you came here."

"Oh." Ventus wiped her mouth. "Well…he's my dad."

"What?" Johnny nearly spat his canteen.

"My mom and he split when she was still pregnant. He didn't know until I was a few years old. After that he called me every so often and would try to visit me and convince them to let me spend time at Beacon." She put her apple down. "They all wanted to keep it on the downlow." She ran her fingers through her head. "Otherwise I would have been just like you." She mocked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Citrine said. Nova grit her teeth in frustration.

"The daughter of a maiden and a hunter. That's all. And don't mistake your place, we're not blood related."

"You say that as if it'd be a bad thing."

"Let's just say your family tree doesn't have the best luck." Ventus argued.

"There's no such thing as luck." Johnny said.

"Regardless, I know who I am. I know both my Aunt Raven and my dad care about me even if they aren't allowed to show it. Duties of a headmaster and all that."

"Shut up." Nova punched the log she had been sitting on. She was sick of this conversation. Something about it irked her to no end.

"Nova?" Citrine said. Nova stood up and brushed any crumbs off her pants.

"What's your deal?" Ventus asked.

"It's…nothing you need to know." Nova admitted. "Just…change the subject."

"Mommy issues." Citrine whispered.

"I heard that!" Nova shot out.

"Gah, I mean…I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. I didn't want you to hear it and that probably makes it worse."

"It really does." Nova slumped back down. "Even Qrow…even an alcoholic headmaster with no legal ties to you…took time to call you, and try to see you." Nova dug her nails into the rock. "The more I think about it…the more I hear stuff like that, and spend time with loving parents, the more I hate her!" Nova put her palms to her forehead. "Kuso." She whipped her eyes. She refused to cry, especially in front of them. So, she stood up and started to walk out only to feel a firm grasp on her wrist.

"Nova." Johnny said.

"Let me go." Nova threatened.

"Not until you hear what I have to say." Johnny said. "You're strong, stronger than anyone I know. But you think burying these feelings of sadness, and replacing them with anger and hate, makes you strong but it doesn't. It makes you weak." He let go of her.

"Kuso." Johnny's words had stung. They touched a raw nerve and planted themselves there.

"There is strength in admitting how you feel." Johnny said.

"It wasn't always like this." Nova let out a sustained breath. I used to look forward to when she would come home." She sat back down on her log. "She would take on missions while my dad taught at Shade."

"It was a lot like my house." Citrine added.

"As it should have been." Nova fumed. "Then after years and years of her being home less and less and leaving for longer and longer…I thought it was something I did. I thought that I wasn't worth her caring for." A tear threatened to cross her eye. "Then she started promising. She promised she'd stay home. She'd promise she'd stop running. But she never kept those promises she never even tried. That's when I realized that it was her fault not mine." Nova looked at Citrine. "It's just like your mom said. She's a coward. She was, no, is, scared that if she doesn't throw herself against Cipher she's going to cause the end of the world. She chose her own stupid…" Nova started punching the wood with every word. "Senseless. Ass-backwards. Bull Shit Fears…over her own family."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ventus said. "But it could have been a lot worse. Your mom is with the Arbiters now. Back in the day they weren't allowed to have any personal life outside the Arbiters."

"Would that be worse though?" Nova said. "What makes it so hard isn't that she leaves. It's that she comes back apologizing then does nothing about it." Nova said. "Sometimes I wish Mrs. Ruby was my mom, or at least Yang. Yang's an Arbiter too and she still always found time for me. Granted, it was to make up fo her lying about knowing what my mom was doing." Nova massaged her temples.

"You still shouldn't let you get you down." Johnny said. He was drawing something in the mud. "I never had much of a family. My little sister and I grew up in an orphanage. My mom died of sickness when I was seven. My sister was four. She doesn't remember mom or dad. My dad died in a car wreck a little bit before that."

"That's sad to hear." Citrine said.

"It's why I wanted to be a huntsman. Out here we might not have control but we can always do something about it. I felt so, empty, I…I knew I needed to be strong for Aisling." He gave a chuckle. "She's deathly afraid of the dark. I used to have to get her to sleep with a flashlight in my hand." Johnny's hand went to his weapon.

"That's why you made that?" Citrine asked.

"No, I found this weapon." He said. "Or it found me. Regardless, I suddenly had to be like a parent to her. I had no idea what that meant. I thought it was all about common sense. Logic. My semblance isn't like most."

"Well no duh, all semblances are unique." Ventus said.

"Not that I mean…" Johnny continued. "I tried so hard to be so smart that…I when I failed, I fell right into all my emotions. My semblance is a projection of everything I wanted to be. Cold, logical, intelligent, cunning, quick, a shimmer of light for Aisling, and the rest of the world. It became my only friend."

"That's weird." Nova said. "And that coming from the girl whose semblance creates copies of her.

"I guess so." Johnny said. "But I'll tell you more about it some other time."

"My semblance is telekinesis." Ventus said. "But only when it's something I've touched. And it has to be in my line of sight and range. And there's weight limits."

"That's why I love scatter. It's not the most versatile but it doesn't have any draw backs."

"Unless some cheap bastard turns it off and makes you fall on your face."

"Oh yeah, totally going to get payback when I can."

"Shhh." Johnny said. Nova's eyes dilated. An owl hooted in the distance. But there was someone watching them.

"Get down." Nova landed on her side and fired up at the tree.

"Grimm?" Ventus asked.

"No." Johnny fired the flashlight and it lit up the night. A figure clad in black and wearing a Grimm mask dropped from the trees and rushed at them. He had dark hair and a tail.

"Alright." Nova took Jumelle Buteur and ran to intercept him. Citrine beat her too it and blocked a flurry of strikes. Nova took advantage of his staggered swing to kick him in the face. Her blades clashed with his twin daggers and they locked in combat.

"You're good kid." He said. "I can certainly see the fires of Vacuo in your eyes.

"Putain de droit." She smiled. He was overpowering her. He kicked her legs out but she threw down a clone to take the blow. The clone kicked his legs out and kicked him in the chin. She followed up with a butterfly slash that he nimbly parried. She made a clone to jump over her and push him back and into the path of Johnny's flash canon.

He blocked the light and in a flash appeared behind Johnny. Ventus intercepted him with a log. Johnny spun and fired but missed. Citrine dashed into him with a shield bash. She spun around as the shield unfolded into a scythe. The blade was inches from his neck when he shot his arm back to block it. He leaped in the air and kicked Citrine in the chest. He spun around and his daggers had combined into a spear.

"Who are you?" Citrine said.

"You're not in a position, to ask questions." He said.

"What is it? White Fang? Arbiters? Cipher?" Nova asked.

"Good." He said. "Your mind is in the right place." He flipped around and kicked all four of them in the face. Ventus backed off and began hurling objects at him. Citrine and Nova were kept at bay by his spear skills.

"Kuso, hold still." Nova fumed as she linked her swords together and took a more acrobatic approach. The man leaped backwards.

"I'm getting too old for this." He huffed.

"You're not getting away." Nova jumped on Citrine's scythe and was hurled towards him. He lunging strike missed as usual. So, she fired her grappling hook into a tree and traced to his flank. He jumped out of the way and back into the open.

"Hey asshole." Ventus said. "Dodge this." She had him surrounded by debris. It all closed in on him but he dodged it perfectly, only to be hit with Johnny's flash canon. As he staggered back Nova scissor kicked him and put him into an arm bar. Citrine pulled his mask off.

"You?" She said.

"Hi." It was Felix. "Congratulations…you're the first team to get the better of a huntsman." He headbutted Nova. "Ahh…granted I haven't been a full powered huntsman since the war…can't do much without any way to project aura. That's why I'm bullying you first years." He caught his breath.

"What the hell?" Ventus said. "This wasn't part of the plan."

"Not our plan." Johnny said.

"Sharp kid. I can see why you were Qrow's first pick. You already figured it out long ago, didn't you?"

"I knew there had to be more to it. Any first year out of a primary school can set up a camp. My initial thought was that you were going to use Grimm spawners."

"We are for some of the other brackets. There's only so few." Felix noted. "Well, I'm off, I still have to see what those Atlas kids are ready for." He jumped up into a tree. "Don't doubt yourselves. You are the best your class has to offer. And you surpassed my expectations." He jumped away.

"We're just going to let him go?" Citrine said.

"He's going to beat up the Atlas team so…let him." Nova shrugged.

"Well that was a thing." Ventus said.

"Wait, did we just take down a former headmaster?" Nova got excited. "From Vacuo no less." The reality set in for her.

"Well, you heard what he…"

"Let me have my moment bon sang." Nova said.

"Alright, Nova. We just beat a former headmaster." Johnny smiled.

"Ahhh…." Nova collapsed in utter bliss at the thought of her own progress.

 **AN: Oh yeah, this is an action show. Hard to remember that sometimes with all the teen drama and mommy issues throughout this story. Seriously, do you remember the Blacks. Those were a fun group of chapters. Too bad the action is done for a pair of chapters. Next Time: The Third Trial.**


	47. Wisdom

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: We're five chapters away from the conclusion of this arc. I have to say, I like a lot of the moments but…this was a bland arc all around. I promise the remaining arcs will actually have plots and action that means something.**

Chapter 47: Wisdom

Nephrite was hanging out with Prim and Lánméi at the edge of the fairgrounds. They were running Ruby's obstacle course. Nephrite was getting some of the best times out of any student. So much so, that a kid from Haven wondered why she wasn't part of the games. Nephrite was flattered but defended her friends.

"Team Vale is doing really good with who they have." Prim said.

"Yeah, with mom and dad, and your aunt Yang, they've been mopping up in the professional bracket." Lánméi said.

"Yeah um…I wish Atlas was doing a bit better." Prim kicked the dirt. "It's been fun seeing Dad out there. But Team Mantle is in last place overall."

"Team Vacuo is in first place, followed by Team Vale." Nephrite added. "And in the first-year brackets Beacon is in first place followed by Shade then Atlas." Atlas had been in first place but dropped the ball on the second challenge."

"So, mom said something about the stadium not being used at all for the next challenge." Lanmei said.

"Yeah, it's just being televised." Prim said. "Apparently, the people who run the stadium don't think the next challenge is going to sell a lot of popcorn."

"Well, you're free to watch it at my place." Nephrite said.

"Thanks…wait is Chénzi going to be there."

"Yeah, why?" Nephrite asked.

"Guh." Prim grunted. "It was so nice being away from him and Glade during the last challenge."

"And Argent?" Lánméi asked.

"Argent's fine. You hand him a book or something and he'll forget we even exist. Biggest thing with babysitting him is making sure he remembers to eat." Prim laughed. "Having a baby around the house again is stressful but Gelb's well behaved, at least compared to Rosaline."

"Don't remind me." Lánméi said with a groan. Nephrite and the two girls turned a corner and Prim got plastered in the face by a water balloon.

"God, damn it!" She cursed. Her eyes narrowed on her aquarious assailant. "Gladiolus Pyrrhus Arc! You are dead." Prim started chasing her twin brother down. "Get back here."

"You should see the look on your face." Glade stuck his tongue out. Nephrite and Lanmei just watched them.

"And I thought Chénzi was bad." Lánméi said. Prim flared her semblance and blasted Glade with a yellow arrow. Glade rolled on his feet and flung a red spear construct at her. She blocked it with a shield construct and pulled her weapons from her boot straps. The pistols combined together into a broadsword.

"You're not getting away with this." Prim said. Glade pulled out a large pen. It unfolded into a spear.

"The pen is mightier than the sword." He smirked.

"I should break them up, shouldn't I?" Nephrite said. They were already clashing their weapons at speeds not unheard of for Beacon students.

"No, I want to see blood." Lánméi gleamed. "Kick his teeth in Prim!" She cheered. Nephrite sighed. Lightning sparkled in her eyes. Typical. Things get crazy and Nephrite's the only one who stays sane.

"Cut it out guys." Nephrite jumped between them. "The next challenge will start soon. We're going to watch it at my house. And please don't break anything." Nephrite pleaded. "I do want things to be at least presentable when mom and dad get back."

"Alright, I just have to find Argent." Glade said.

"He's with Eiess." Prim said. "They're at my house watching it."

"Alright, let's go." Glade tried leading the way but Prim pushed him out of the way. Nephrite got between them and led the way to the small house her family lived in. Chénzi was there watching the TV. Some analysts were talking about last night's round.

"Move over." Lánméi pushed him to the edge. Prim sat next to her. Nephrite pulled up a chair and sat behind them. Glade sat next to her.

"So, Neph, what do you think is going to happen?" Glade smiled at her.

"I'm pretty sure it's from the Arbiters." Nephrite said. "Venturing a guess…I'd say wisdom or ingenuity."

The camera shifted to a lecture hall. All eighty contestants were sat down. They were dispersed, with no two people from the same team or bracket next to each other. Nephrite quickly caught Citrine's orange cape close to the front. Jaune was in one of the corners. Rean was a few rows up and to the left of him. Nora was on the far side, three rows from the back. Yang was on the opposite end of her. A figure wearing a Grimm mask, sporting short black hair and a matching skirt and sweater vest with a red tie walked up.

"Greetings huntsmen." She took off her mask to reveal a set of coal colored eyes. "Knowledge has carried you far but knowledge is only finite. There's more to know than can be known in a lifetime. But wisdom is infinite. Wisdom is knowing what calls to make when. Out in a battlefield, wisdom can save the lives of many."

"Wisdom it is." Glade said.

"This next portion of the games is a written test." The proctor continued. "Scoring is pretty straight forward." Most of the people groaned. "These are logic problems. Each one describes a situation you may come across." She looked up at the camera.

"No wonder they didn't open the stadium." Chénzi said.

"Anyone watching can find the test on our website. You can even participate if you want the bragging rights." She moved back to the desk. With a twitch of her finger she pulled up a lunchbox.

"I'm going to do it." Prim said. "Could be important stuff for a huntress to know.

"Your team will be graded together. If one of you gets a zero, it could be detrimental to your team's score. There will also be a nineteenth question asked at the end. If any of you get it wrong, you and your whole team, regardless of if they get it right or not, will receive no points for this round."

"What?" A couple people shouted.

"You have one hour. Begin." The proctor ignored their outcry.

Nephrite, out of curiosity, took her scroll and went to the website. She found the test easy enough. Her eyes skimmed the eighteen problems posted. The first one talked about a rockslide over a dust mine and asked what glyphs would benefit the situation and what the best course of action was. The next was similar. They were all multi-faceted, high cognitive demanding tasks.

"This is insane." Nephrite said. "Few people would even understand what half this stuff is. I know Johnny probably knows, and Citrine might be able to get some of them but…alright Ventus is also a mage and Arbiter in training. She'll do fine."

"But Nova." Glade said. "Her answer to everything is to throw everything she can at it." Nephrite nodded.

"Thankfully, every team is probably at the same disadvantage." Prim said. "Atlas is probably going to kill though." She grinned. "Or at least this is the stuff my dad is always going on about."

"All the huntsmen should do fine." Nephrite said. "They've probably ran into these situations before." She could see the panic on Nova's face where she sat. She was front and center next to one of the fourth-year students from Haven and August Gold from the Vacuo professional team.

"Time is up." The proctor said. She lifted her hand and all the tests were pulled forward on strings.

"Alright, get this last question over with." August said.

"I can fail you just because I hate your guts, Griffon." She spoke with acidic familiarity.

"Whatever." August said.

"One more thing before I ask this last question." She said. "You don't have to take it." Her features gave nothing away. "You can leave now and secure your points. Or you can stay…for the chance to double your points. If you decide to leave, then your whole team leaves." Nova started to look back. "Eyes forward. Think about your team."

"But she barely knows that Ventus girl." Prim said.

"Whatever this last question is, it must be big." Glade said. "I'm sure you can figure it out though Nephrite." Glade smiled at her.

Nephrite nodded and waited for anticipation. One by one, teams dropped out. Three fourth year teams dropped. One second-year team dropped. Half the third-year teams dropped. Then Shade's first-year team dropped.

Nephrite could see Nova shaking. Ventus, Johnny and Citrine all had eyes on her from a distance. She obviously was not confidant in her points. She wouldn't want to back down, especially for a chance to double her score. But she also didn't want to lose and be the reason her team had no points. Nova had always worn her emotions on her sleeve, but this was a new one. Fear. She started lifting her hand up.

"Kuso." Nova slammed her fist to the table. "Just tell us already!"

"Hmmm…very well." The proctor said as the last quitters left the room. "You all pass, with your points doubled.

"WHAT?" Almost everybody shouted.

"Sometimes we make mistakes. We do something we shouldn't. Every question was a scenario so you had no reason to decide this would be different. You knew it was a scenario, and you knew it was important. The fact that you took action means everything. Sometimes the situation isn't what we'd like it to be and we give up…or die. So many huntsmen take cushy jobs running security for corporations or secure towns. But the best dive headlong into danger."

"So, all we had to do was act?" Deus said.

"Taking action is a virtue in itself." Tetsu said.

"Precisely." She said. "When the Grimm War started…I actually fought for the Black Knights."

"What?" A lot of people said, undoubtedly sprouting negative feelings towards the woman.

"The only person I ever cared about was killed by a huntress who was just defending herself. We were born in it, thought we had no choice. But as the situation changed…as I learned more about what I could do with my life…I betrayed the ones who raised me and became a huntress…and fought alongside my sister's assailant in the final battle. To this day I don't think I could truly forgive her…and I don't understand how she forgave me for all the things I've done. But we take action anyway, and don't let any odds keep us from bettering ourselves and the world." She put the mask back on. "You're all dismissed."

"That's it?" Lánméi said. "That was so lame."

"I thought it was interesting."

"Yeah but you actually have the patience for that kind of boring stuff." Lánméi reposed.

"You should have at least listened to what she said Lánméi." Nephrite scolded. "If you haven't guessed, the willingness to take action is the most important pillar of being a huntsman."

"Blah, blah, blah. You're so annoying sometimes."

"Shut up you pest." Glade said.

"Please don't start in." Nephrite said.

"You want to go?" Lanmei asked.

"Sure, let's go." Glade stood up. He and Lanmei went outside and started battling. Nephrite sighed in resignation. As Lanmei fired lightning from her eyes and it blew a hole in her house as Glade deflected it with his semblance, Nephrite knew she'd be the one to fix it.

"Sometimes I wish I just had it in me to hit her."

"I have no problem hitting her." Prim said as she plopped down in the seat Glade had been sitting in.

"No, you'll…just make it worse."

"True, I'd probably end up siding with her too." Prim moved her bangs out of her eyes. "I'll never know how you do it."

"All my life dealing with this childish non-stop…you, kind of build an immunity to it."

"I've dealt with Glade since before we were born and I still can't stand him sometimes. You are a patient lady."

"Thank you, I try really, really hard."

 **AN: Three down, two to go. I'm liking these younger siblings. Like I said, Prim is a joy and will have a big role in future arcs. Also, readers of RWBYond Vale will definitely recognize the unnamed proctor. Next time, the ingenuity challenge that Rubrum cooked up.**


	48. Ingenuity

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: We're almost to the finish line. I'm actually looking forward to being done with this arc, mostly because next arc is going to be so…stuff is going to go down. So, this is going to be a really short chapter.**

Chapter 48: Ingenuity

Being a proctor sucked. This was a truth Ruby was learning more and more. It was so hard to judge some of these teams objectively. This is one of the reasons she never felt called to be a teacher. Seeing her husband, sister and baby girl out there doing these challenges made it hard for her to grade them.

Ruby was also getting distracted. She was supposed to watch the competitions but during the wisdom challenge she just wound up texting Eiess to make sure Gelb and Argent were okay. Now, as the hour of Rubrum's ingenuity challenge was underway, her thoughts went to her blessed family and how proud she was of all her kids and the kids of her friends.

"Ruby, focus." Kurome said. The girl was watching with her from the south observation deck. The stadium below was set up like a maze. It was an elaborate challenge divided up into twenty fifty-square-meter areas. All of them identical. Like last challenge, every team will be going at the same time.

"I just want to go home." Ruby groaned.

"I know, but you have a job to do."

"All we're doing is watching them and grading their performance. It's not like it effects the points."

"It effects the accolades." Kurome said. "Come on, if you can sit through the written test you can sit through this."

"Greetings Huntsmen." Ebony said from the center column. "My name is Ebony Sterling. I am here on behalf of Mantle, Atlas Academy, and the man who designed this challenge, Rubrum Snappes, who sadly could not make the trip."

"Someone had to stay home." Ruby laughed.

"I nearly lynched him when we first met." Kurome laughed.

"Kurome!"

"It's true." Kurome shrugged.

"So far you have proven your willingness to serve the people of Remnant." Ebony continued. "You have proven your bravery, your ability to act, and the wisdom to know how. This challenge is something a bit more…pragmatic. Each of you have a problem, you must use only what is at your disposal to solve the puzzle and free the prisoner."

"They've got lots of supplies for multiple ways of thinking." Ruby said.

"You have five minutes to complete the objective." Ebony said. "Begin."

"Not even telling them where to start." Kurome said. "Just an end game and some supplies."

All the Mantle teams were working fast. They were already putting supplies together to complete the circuit. The only Vale team to be doing the same was the first-years. That fact brought a smile to her face. From what she's heard of this Johnny Clay, he's quite the bright one. And Citrine picked up a knack for engineering from her mommy.

They had to complete the circuit to free the switch. Next was to reach that switch and pull it. That would cause a platform to move up and down. One person had to stand on a pressure pad up top while shouting out the numbers that appeared from that unique vantage point. Those numbers would be the combination on a lock that freed the second pressure pad. That pressure pad would complete a second circuit with a new set of symbols, which would be the combination to unlock the third and final pressure pad. But before all three pads were activated, they had to have a harness ready to catch the sack of eggs labeled 'civilian.' If a single egg broke they would lose their points. If they simply caught it, eggs would surely break.

The Mantle professionals finished after only one minute. Jaune had called the shots. Penny used her own body to complete the circuit, saving them countless seconds on moving the metal objects. Haven's first-year team had a similar talent. Tetsu Raion could apparently turn his arms into metal objects. Ruby could almost see Deus going to do the same but pulling back because of the risk it would undoubtedly have on his augmentations. He did however hack the third terminal to sequence skip one of the stages.

Citrine and her team were doing it quickly, and in the same way Ruby would have likely done it. Johnny called out the shots from above. Citrine handled a lot of the crafting. Nova had helped Ventus up to where the hostage was, undoubtedly allowing Ventus to use her semblance when it came time, but probably because Nova thought Ventus would just rip it open. If she could well, that would be fair game. And it would be close to what Vacuo had done.

Ramil used black metallic dust to complete the circuit once they figured out what to do. Kokh was getting the bird's eye view. Akhdir tried ripping the harness down to no avail. No surprise, the stuff was built to take a skull-round and stay put.

Citrine's team was on the last leg. Ventus had joined Johnny and was ready to make the jump. Johnny described the symbols the second circuit had made and Nova punched them in. The hostage fell. Ventus dove and touched the sack. Nova sent out a clone to grab it after Ventus successfully caught it. They had completed the challenge just two seconds before Atlas did the same.

In the first-year bracket, Beacon was first, then Atlas, and Haven third. Shade's team took most of their time figuring out the mechanisms and for that, claimed last place. More and more teams finished and their times translated into scores. Atlas was now in first in that bracket. Shade had kept second place though just barely. Beacon was still in third and Haven was at the bottom. Mantle was also first overall with Vale in second place and Mistral in third.

"Good job kid." Ruby sighed.

"They all did well." Kurome said. "Cutting Penny's…familiarity with Rubrum…this was the closest round yet."

"Ooh, and I can't wait for the next round." Ruby said. "I haven't actually seen Citrine really go all out since she was still training with Jaune."

"Hasn't she been training with you?"

"Yeah but I'm a lousy teacher." Ruby admitted. "I'm curious to see what these other teams can do. This is a good batch of first years. This isn't the first time they all four did better than their school mates." Ruby remembered all four teams having better times than their respective second and third year teams.

"I think all the headmasters chose well." Kurome noted.

"Yeah…I'm glad Nova is doing well." Ruby looked down at Nova who was looking at the scoreboard with grim determination. "She's working well with her team, which was something Qrow thought she wouldn't do."

"That old bird wouldn't know circumstantial alliances if one blasted him in the face." Kurome said. "Remember Crete?"

"No one will ever forget that day." Ruby said.

"No one thought that Ao and I could be team players with you idiots. But with the entire human race on the line, we pulled our own weight and then some."

"We could have never done it without you." Ruby smiled. Kurome frowned.

"I'm going back to my hotel room." Kurome walked towards the door. "I'll send Ao your regards."

"It was nice seeing you again." Ruby said but Kurome didn't respond. Ruby thought back to what she said at the end of the last round. Ruby shook her head, she had no right to ask for forgiveness. Akagi was her failure as much as anyone's. Regardless of circumstances it was her fault. She had moved past it. Kurome had moved past it. But they would never forget it.

Ruby made her way down to where Citrine and Nova's teams were gathered. Jaune, Ren and Nora were there as well. Ruby took Gelb from Eiess' arms and gave him a bif kiss before she did anything else.

"You did good out there." Jaune said to Citrine.

"This was a wonderful challenge." Penny said. "Though I admit, I know where Rubrum got the idea from." She whispered.

"Well, now is when the fun begins." Ruby said.

"Mrs. Ruby, can we go training?" Nova asked.

"Sorry kid." Ruby ran her hand through the Faunas' hair. "Cool your heels. You're going to need all the strength you can muster tomorrow."

 **AN: Like I said, really short chapter. I got the idea of how this challenge worked from the newest Zelda game, which I've been playing non-stop for the last few days. It's really that good.**


	49. Strength in One's Self

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: The most anticipated event is underway. I played Zelda for fifteen hours straight last night. It's so freaking good. I'm so glad I got a Wii U. Oh and this is also the accumulation of plot points I've sprinkled around a bit.**

Chapter 49: Strength in One's Self

Eiess walked around the stadium with Citrine and Nova. Gelb was in Citrine's arm. Citrine's hand was in Eiess' own. It was the day the final challenge would be declared. Citrine was excited at what it could be. Though, everyone already guessed it was some sort of tournament. Mistral's proctor would be addressing it. Seeing that Mistral basically invented the idea of a tournament some thousand years ago, that was a pretty safe bet.

"Eiess, Citrine, Nova!" Ruby called from the archway.

"Mom?" Citrine ran up. "I thought they'd have you in the observation booth."

"Well, the lead proctor for this round decided that wasn't necessary. Everyone can sit in the stands until it's their turn to fight." She leaned in close. "Granted, I got all us some VIP seats." She leaned towards Nova. "Your parents are going to be up their…I hope you don't mind."

"I won't so long as they don't try crying to me." Nova crossed her arms.

"Sorry your parents couldn't make it." Ruby said as she looked at Eiess.

"It's no problem. Nick has school, and my parents have work. We were lucky to get them all here for the family night." Eiess said with a smile. She was thinking that right now, the Roses were all the family she needed.

They sat in the VIP booth. Yang was already taking advantage of the open bar in the section. She, Blake and Sun sat together. Nova sat between Sun and Blake and didn't seem all that happy about it. Apparently, Sun was saving the other seat for the proctor, who was an old friend.

Ruby sat next to Jaune. Prim and Glade sat to Jaune's side. Argent then Citrine sat to Ruby's side with Eiess sitting right next to her girlfriend. Girlfriend, that was a nice thought. Ruby took Gelb and started bouncing him on her lap. Then the lights came on.

"Hello people of Remnant!" A boisterous voice called. He was tall, tanned and sported a head of blue hair.

"That's…" Eiess jaw dropped she looked at Citrine whose face mirrored her own. All this time searching and wondering about him only to have him thrust into her sights. And he'll be sitting in this section no doubt. Eiess heart started beating and she built up a sweat. This man was Neptune Vasilias, her biological father.

"Mistral has always been a classy place." Neptune continued. "Several thousand years ago, it was the Mistralians that discovered that a friendly competition of fist-y cuffs can go a long way to relieve tension and build catharsis. So, for the next three days, we'll have a tournament."

"Called it!" Nova cheered. The whole crowd seemed to agree with her enthusiasm. Funny, long gone were the days where tournaments were shunned because of what happened at the Fortieth Vytal Festival Tournament.

"The first three brackets will have their preliminary matches today. The other two brackets will be going tomorrow. Then, on the third day, the finalists will be competing for the top spot in their bracket."

"Awe so I get you for the entire day today." Ruby leaned on Jaune's shoulder.

"Now, these preliminary matches will be going off on the rankings within that bracket. So, starting us off, Shade's first-year team versus Haven's first-year team. Give a big round of applause to the." In a flash of blue light, he was gone.

The stadium shifted to reveal two biomes. A desert biome, identical to the majority of Vacuo, and a thick forest biome reminiscent of Mistrals marshy jungles. Shade and Haven's teams lined up along their home field biome.

"Begin!" The announcer said.

Akhdir leaped into action to lead Shade's charge. Kokh and Rasa flanked him in a serpentine. Tetsu blacked Akhdir's fist and with a thunderous blow was launched skyward. Tetsu spun around and swung his blade. It became imbued with lightning that he used to launch himself back down. Kiefer jumped up and sent thousands of needles at Ramil, but they were all blocked.

"Leave it to Akhdir to get things started." Sun quipped. Kokh was exchanging fists with Verdant. The green clad Mistralian was holding his own despite having no real weapon like Kokh's pistol knives.

"And Kokh sure has picked up a lot from his teacher." Yang said.

Rasa and Fen were slashing at each other in a pink haze. Tetsu bore down on Akhdir but was blocked by the larger man's forearms. Tetsu flipped over the Faunas' head and delivered a kick to his head, sending him towards Verdant and Kokh. Tetsu then flun lightning from his sword and zapped Kokh, freeing Verdant up to give a flying axe kick. The kick was blocked. Verdant flipped and ducked under Akhdir's punch, which caused a compressed airwave. Verdant then Swept Akhdir's feet and finished up with a kick to the head.

"That Verdant kid moves good too." Ruby said. "It kinda reminds me of the first time you fought Mercury."

On the desert front, Kiefer had tried everything to get around Ramil's defenses. But nothing worked, they were all blocked by the microbots. They black mass grabbed Kiefer by the arm and slammed her into the sand. Electricity coursed through the bits and took Kiefer out. She threw them at Verdant and Tetsu. Tetsu spun around slashing them with his sword. Verdant bobbed and weaved around the powdery attack to assault Ramil directly.

Verdant managed to get Ramil's attention, leaving Kokh for Tetsu. Tetsu joined with Fen. It was two-on-two over by the forest. Akhdir made it three on two as he launched Tetsu and Fen to the sky. Ramil tried intercepting them as she used some of her tool to keep Verdant at bay and the rest, charged with lightning, to attack Tetsu and Fen.

Tetsu knocked Fen out of the way and took the attack. He channeled his own lightning through his defense and came out unscathed. Then Kokh kicked him down with an axe kick. Tetsu bounced up and went back to back with Fen. Rasa lunged towards Fen but Tetsu flipped over his teammate and intercepted her blade. He then made a blade of his own using his arm and slashed across her chest, taking her out.

"Come on Rasa, get back up!" Nova screamed. "Ramil, get your head in the game, you're better than this." Nova kept on cheering for Vacuo's victory despite being on Vale's team. Neptune finally walked in.

"Sun." Neptune said.

"Sup Neptune." The two did a bro hug and Neptune took a seat next to him.

"My kids aren't doing so hot." Neptune said.

"Ah, it's still even." Sun said. "Besides, you said that Verdant kid had some tricks up his sleeve."

Eiess looked at Citrine then looked at Neptune. She decided now was as good a time as any. She was just curious about the man her mom had dated for so long. All she needed was a reassuring smile. And their it was. Citrine's smile that always managed to melt any ice on Eiess' heart.

"Excuse me?" She said as she walked over to Neptune.

"Hey kid…" He said "Oh um…your Weiss' daughter, aren't you?"

"That's right."

"Eiess, right?" He said awkwardly. Yang gave Eiess a questioning look. Eiess just came up with an excuse.

"You're a teacher at Haven, correct?"

"That's right. Have been for…you're what, seventeen?" Eiess nodded her head. "Yeah, pretty much longer than you've been alive." Eiess took a seat next to him. "So, what do you want to know."

"I'm just curious that's all. I know…I know you had…relations with my mother at some point. But it wasn't until recently that I had even heard about you."

"Makes sense." Neptune said. "Your mom and I…when things got bad they got really bad. I haven't heard anything from her since she was a few months pregnant with you. And even then it was just me checking up on her after all that Cipher business damn near eighteen years ago."

"Yeah." Eiess sighed. That would have been about the same time Weiss decided she didn't care who the biological father was.

"How are they anyway?" Neptune asked. "All I get is tidbits from Sun and Yang." He explained.

"They're fine. Had a bit of a situation at the beginning of the semester." An explosion took Eiess' attention back to the fight. Akhdir had thrown a tree at Fen and managed to smack her. It was now three on two and Tetsu looked like he was on his last leg.

Kokh kept up the assault on Tetsu, forcing Verdant to deal with both Akhdir and Ramil. It occurred that Verdant hadn't sustained any real hits yet he seemed to be on his last breaths. It was an odd approach to combat. It was common to sacrifice a bit of your aura's strength to deal a deciding blow yet time and time again Verdant passed on those opportunities. In one exchange, Verdant had Akhdir dead to rights with a powerful kick but backed off to dodge some of Ramil's black powder.

"That's odd." Yang said. She must have picked up on it too.

"I don't get it." Eiess said. "Why keep dodging? Why not block? If it's his aura, why train in such a close-range style?"

"That's the thing kid." Neptune smiled. "Verdant can't do any of that."

"Instincts?" Ruby asked.

"Condition." Neptune corrected. "Verdant was born with a rare disease that keeps him from manifesting his aura outward. He has no semblance, no ability to use dust, and no defensive property of aura. All he can do with his aura is internalize it into his muscles."

"That's insane." Yang said. "Someone like that shouldn't, couldn't ever be a serious huntsman."

"And he's out to prove people like that wrong." Neptune looked at Ruby. "You made the most dangerous profession into the most noble dream. So many people, so determined to be huntsmen. This is the world you created over twenty years ago."

"When you say it like that…" Ruby sighed. "I sound like a villain."

"Don't mistake his weakness for…um…well…weakness. His inability for weakness, there." Neptune said.

Kokh sent an elbow into Tetsu's ribs. Tetsu hit Kokh with one last attack before being punched by Akhdir. Tetsu was out and Kokh was still standing. All three remaining Shade students attacked Verdant, who jumped into the air and landed on the tallest tree.

"What do you mean?" Eiess asked. Verdant looked up towards the VIP box. Neptune gave him a thumb's up and Verdant nodded. He then started taking the grieves off his arms and legs.

"What's he doing?" Sun asked.

"If you don't have defense or range…" Neptune said as Verdant held the extra clothing up. "You need to make up for it in pure speed and strength." The clothes dropped with a thunderous crash that split the ground.

"WHAT?" Everyone screamed.

"Neptune, you are too much." Sun put a hand on his face.

The second the dirt was flung in the air, Verdant dropped down and dashed towards the opposing team. He was fast, faster than anyone Eiess had seen, save for Citrine and some of the adults. With a single blow he knocked Kokh out cold. He kicked Akhdir in the face, sending him flying. He then proceeded to run around, smashing at Ramil's defenses. Ahdir jumped back up to try to block it but was pummeled.

"This kids even faster than Jetstream Black." Yang complimented. That remark made Nova very angry. Jet was still a sore loss for Nova and seeing a kid her age, from Haven no less, achieve greater feats probably was sending her up a wall.

Verdant pummeled Akhdir into submission. His fists flew so fast that they caught fire. He was punching away at Ramil's defensive bits and finally landed a blow. He was relentless and it was all Ramil could do to keep up. But she did. Verdant landed a powerful punch to her face but Ramil initiated her trap. A large beam of dark red aura ignited the sand, engulfing Verdant. He screamed through the pain and kicked Ramil in the chin.

"That was an aura bomb." Eiess said. "To think someone at her age could do that." Eiess said enviously.

"Yeah, but something that attacks aura would have little effect of Verdant's resolve." Neptune countered.

He launched her up and started beating on her from there. But in the air, he couldn't dodge. The metallic bits ripped through his arms and legs tearing into him. He screamed again as he punched Ramil downward. The bits surrounded him and he punched every single one of them away.

He kicked her in the face as he landed. As Ramil went sliding down the sand she erupted with power. All her metallic bits formed into weapons that she flung at him. He dodged every single one of them. Then, as Verdant got close, some of the bits formed a knife that pierced his leg.

Ramil bashed him with a hammer made from her bits. She stood tall and furious, blasting him with her bits. Verdant was no longer able to move. His aura was still technically in the orange, just one clean blow from the red. Daggers formed around Ramil.

"If she hits him with that she'll kill him." Eiess said.

The blades flew towards his struggling body. Then were blocked, as a cloud of rose petals intercepted them. Neptune was springing into action but Ruby beat him to it. The cameras went to them. Neptune stood over Verdant.

"Thanks." Neptune said.

"No problem." Ruby sighed. "The winner of the match is Vacuo. Despite Verdant Lee's aura still not being in the red, his body is no longer fit to carry on and his aura isn't strong enough to defend his body." She said.

"You didn't have to get in my way." Ramil said. "I wouldn't have killed him…probably."

"It's a fun tournament and you all fought admirably." Neptune said. Verdant was out cold. "The next match will be between Atlas and Beacon. We will start in twenty minutes."

 **AN: This was a pretty long chapter. When I first came up with the games this was more what I had in mind. Ramil is sort of Gaara but more like the Kabuki Mask guy from Big Hero 6. And Verdant is…he's Lee.**


	50. Strength in One's Body

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: The most anticipated event is underway. I played Zelda for fifteen hours straight last night. It's so freaking good. I'm so glad I got a Wii U. Oh and this is also the accumulation of plot points I've sprinkled around a bit.**

Chapter 50: Strength in One's Body

Nova and her team lined up against Atlas' team. This was it, Nova's time to show the world what she could do. Oh, and she guessed she could let Citrine, Johnny and Ventus have some fun. After seeing that last match she was determined more than ever. The bench had been set high and she was going to clear it. Right now, she felt she could take on all these guys at once.

Deus was down in a four-point stance ready to leap into action. Cero looked cool as ever as she held her long cavalry blade. Suchen flipped his shades down and winked at Ventus, causing her to roll her eyes. Mavros was the only one who looked to be ready for a regular fight.

Citrine stood at the ready with her shield up. Johnny and Ventus stood next to her. Nova stood at an angle ready to pick her target and strike when she saw fit. The timer was ticking down until the time the battle would officially began.

"You know you shouldn't telegraph which of you are the kind to jump right in." Johnny said.

"My power allows me to take what I have and make it better." Deus said. "This first strike will be your last." Nova grinned. For once she was glad her partner had such a penchant for avoiding damage.

"Begin!" The buzzer rang.

Deus flew at Johnny in an instant. Johnny bent over backwards to avoid the electric kick. He turned to counter attack. Deus slid along the ground to turn around. Fire and lightning shot from his augmentations. Mavros moved to hit Johnny from behind. Citrine moved to intercept. Suchen jumped on Mavros' head and fired his pistols at Ventus. Nova saw her chance to strike at Mavros. Mavros managed to block her first swing, then Cero blocked her second.

Deus put his hands together to form a canon. He fired a massive lightning blast at the group. Citrine blocked it with her shield while Johnny covered her against Mavros' attack. Nova slashed at Cero, pushing her back into the snow biome. Cero leaped back, her aura flared around her.

"Look out!" Johnny shouted. The snow around Nova crystalized. She jumped just in time to keep from being frozen. She fired down at Cero but the bullets were just blocked. Johnny was still engaged with Mavros. Deus was currently rocketing around and bouncing off Citrine's shield. Citrine scattered up. Her cloud of orange petals twisted with the streaks of fire and lightning Deus gave off. Each collision caused thunder to echo across the stadium.

"He's getting carried away again." Cero said coldly. Nova kept pushing forward.

"Focus on me." Nova commanded. She kicked at Cero's face. Then danced around with her blades. She linked them together and thrust them forward. As Cero backed up Nova tossed it forward and caught the smooth edge of one of the blades. She tried sweeping the Atlas girl's legs but Cero but she jumped over the attack. Nova kicked her extended weapon into Cero's face, then elbowed her stomach, spun around and slashed at her wrists but it was blocked by a sheet of ice.

Cero stabbed at her and pushed forward. Nova switched with a clone, taking the hit while the clone tripped her up. Then a second clone shot forward and cracked a knee over the other girl's face. Cero used her semblance to create another ice sheet. This time Nova allowed a clone to be frozen, then kicked the clone into the girl. Cero growled in frustration as she pushed forward. This time she landed a blow. Cero spun around and landed a blow to Nova's chest. Nova landed on her feet but was caught in the in ice up to her waste.

Nova moved to hack away at the ice put Cero caught her arm. The others were all in the forest biome far away. Nova tried using a clone but Cero quickly slashed at it. Nova didn't give up. She fluxed her aura but Cero kept up the cold.

"My semblance allows me to trap things in ice." Cero said. "Those little tricks you pull carried you this far but that's it. It was only a matter of time." She slashed Nova across the face. "This is where your part in these games end."

"Not it isn't." Nova said defiantly. She fired an explosive round at her feet. The ice shattered but Nova's aura took another blow. She barely had time to block Cero's next strike. As they locked arms, Nova couldn't help but grin. Her tail dug in her back pocket and pulled out a knife.

"Ah!" Cero screamed as the knife shot out and stabbed her in the face. Cero slashed up and away, sending Nova's swords flying. Nova punched and then delivered a series of kicks to her. She backflipped and grabbed the weapons. She fired her grappling hook around Cero and close lined her, knocking her down.

"Finally got that to work." Nova said. There was a massive blast of light as Mavros was sent flying and crashed next to Cero.

"What…" Mavros dazed.

"Don't feel bad…it's actually kinda refreshing seeing it from this end." Nova said. She ran to assist Citrine but was blasted back when Deus landed a kick to her back. They were moving too fast. So, Nova opted to help Ventus out instead.

"You can't use your semblance around me Ventus." Suchen said as he danced along the treetops.

"I don't need my semblance." Ventus said. She grabbed a handful of dust and activated it, sending the entire forest into a blaze. Suchen's vision was cut off by the smoke, allowing Ventus to make some glass shards and hurl them at her schoolmate. Suchen was knocked on his butt, but not before shooting Ventus one more time for a double knockout.

"Kuso!" Nova growled. And after she had a hard-won victory her teammate was just going to sit there and loose. Nova looked around the burning forest. She found a burning tree branch and chucked it at Deus. He blasted it out of the air but it bought citrine enough time to knock him into the air. Nova leaped into the air to intercept him.

"I'm ending this now." Deus said. There was a bright light. Nova saw something as her vision blinded. She saw a dark splotch of purple in the corner of her eyes. She gritted her teeth and her blades at the beam.

"Ku…so!" She flung her arms out. The light of the beam vanished. She had protected her friends from the powerful beam. Not that they needed it. If Nova was able to deflect it, Citrine definitely could have.

"You're done." Deus appeared from the light. His body arced with electricity. He grabbed Nova and slammed her into the ground, over his knee. Nova spat up from the backbreaking blow. Deus tossed her up and kicked her in the stomach. Her aura shattered and she fell into Johnny's arms.

"Got you." He said. In the daze, Nova saw that she had nearly beamed the stump of a burning tree. Deus' body charged up as he extended his open hand towards them.

"Too risky." He said putting his arm down. "Where's?" Citrine appeared right behind him, her scythe blade around his waist.

"What was that about ending things?" Citrine taunted. Deus blasted her in the chest. But the force of the blow sent her flying and Deus with her. She flipped around until She was above Deus, then she slammed her scythe down on him. She jumped up to avoid his next attack and Johnny blasted him with his flashlight. As Deus hit the ground, his aura went into the red.

"Beacon is victorious." The announcer said to thunderous applause.

"We did it!" Citrine cheered. Ruby dove in and grabbed her.

"I'm so proud of you." Ruby said.

"Ahem." Ebony said as she appeared in the arena.

"Sorry, but I don't care if I'm a proctor. This was a hard-fought match and I am so proud of my daughter." Ruby looked at the dazed Nova. "I'm proud of all of you." The cameras all focused on Ruby. "I'm proud of all eight combatants in this fight, and the ones before that. When I was a little girl I dreamed of making the world a better place, but being a huntress. Then, with the war, I discovered that I could be an inspiration to people. I stand here as a proud huntress, mentor and mother of five, and say, that dream is still burning bright."

"Hey kid." Yang sat next to Nova and handed her a bottle of water.

"The next match will be between Atlas and Shade's second-year teams. It will begin in twenty minutes." Neptune said.

"We're all proud of you." Yang said.

"I don't care about being an object of your pride, Yang." Nova said. "I was so close but I got carried away."

"Don't be hard on yourself." Yang put a cold, mechanical hand on Nova's shoulder. "Did you know Cero's combat ratings were higher than Deus' ratings?"

"Huh?" Nova perked up. Yang nodded.

"Other than that Lee kid, you fought more valiantly than anyone else today." The compliment just made Nova even more frustrated. Has she gone up against Verdant, she still would have lost. Just like she did against Jet and Mercury.

"Come on Nova." Citrine said. "Let's get us something to eat before the next match starts."

"Alright." Nova said. As she walked with Citrine and Johnny, they were met by Eiess, Blake and Sun.

"You did fantastic out there." Sun beamed as he grabbed his daughter. Nova scowled but hugged him back.

"Sorry we had to beat up all your friends from back home." Citrine scratched the back of her head.

"They aren't really my friends." Eiess said with a warm smile.

"We're up against Vacuo next." Nova said. "Looks like I'm going to be a happy Vacuan either way."

"Have you thought up any way to get around Ramil's defense?" Citrine asked as she looked at Johnny.

"I have something in mind. Without a closer look, there's no telling if it'll work." Johnny replied.

"We'll figure something out." Citrine said. "So, what do we want to eat?"

"We don't have to all eat the same thing." Nova said as she put her arms behind her head. "There's concessions here." They started walking in that direction.

"So, Nova…" Sun said. "That Johnny kid…."

"Another word and I'll kick your teeth in." Nova cut him off.

"When you act like a brat like that it makes me think it's true."

"Kuso, I get enough of that from everyone else's parents. Seriously, you know how Prof Nora gets."

"He's just teasing." Blake said. She smiled brightly at Nova.

"Why are you smiling?" Nova asked.

"What, I can't be proud of my daughter?"

"You can, not that it would mean anything to me, but that's not what you look like when you're proud of something." Nova prodded. Blake's face went red as Sun smirked. "You know what, never mind." She said coldly. She watched as Eiess leaned her head-on Citrine's shoulder. Nova just rolled her eyes. Having friends was one thing, but dedicating your life to please someone else was not a thought Nova was willing to entertain. Not until she reached that level, the level that made Ruby a legend, when she reached that level, she'd entertain the thought of romance.

"They certainly looked happy together." Blake said.

"Yeah." Sun said. "You know…for a while I thought you and Yang were a thing." Nova about gagged.

"Better than the guy we met during the war, the one who thought you and Neptune were a thing."

"I didn't think you would go there…but you did." Sun narrowed his eyes.

"It was funny." She laughed.

"Just some people man…don't know the difference between best friends and lovers." Sun shook his head.

"Nephrite and Citrine are best friends." Nova said. "Eiess always acted differently than anyone else."

"Yeah, Flint said the writing was on the wall." Sun said.

"Wait, she told them already." Nova raised her eyebrow.

"Told them? This was years ago, he said this." Sun said. "Flint's smart, he knows his daughter better than anyone." Nova sighed. Either they didn't know or didn't care. It didn't matter, Flint was the one who raised her. Nova knew just how little blood meant in forming bonds. Her own callousness towards her mother was proof of that.

"It's almost as if Eiess was the last one to know." Blake mused.

"Shows what you know…took Citrine by surprise." Nova corrected. They arrived at the nearest concessions.

"It's all on me." Eiess said.

"Eiess please no…"

"Technically it's on my mom." Eiess held up her scroll. "Courtesy of the Schnee Dust company on a spectacular fight." She said. "Apparently, Winter is taking the Atlas team out for lunch under the same pretense."

"Wait, where's Ventus?" Johnny asked.

"She's probably spending quality time with her own family." Yang said.

"Just two more days and it's all over." Johnny said. "We should enjoy it while we can." He said.

 **AN: Wasn't sure how to end that one but I had to. It's getting late as I write this and I got to be up early tomorrow. Next time, the final round of the tournament, Vale vs. Vacuo begins.**


	51. Strength in One's Spirit

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: And now for the stunning conclusion to the tournament. This is going to be a long one, even though the fight itself is going to be much shorter than the last two fights. I also want to give little descriptions at what the professional bracket looked like. And there's also the falling action for this part.**

Chapter 51: Strength in One's Spirit

It was the final day on the tournament and Citrine was ready. She had spent all day yesterday going over some strategies and matchups with Johnny. Well, and she cheered her aunt and her dad to victory. Yang's team had made short work of the Vacuo team, much to Nova's dismay. She'd been pouty ever since, that her dad let her mom win one for Vale. And no one on Mistral's team could so much as knock Penny or Jaune down, let alone out. So, Citrine had resigned herself to cheer Vale on. It was fun seeing her dad fight. But she thought it would be funnier for Yang, Blake and the Rens to win.

Now Citrine had to deal with this fight. Her team lined up against the Vacuo team. The biomes were the ones for Atlas and Mistral, taking away their home field advantages. Everyone already had their weapons out. Citrine had her weapon in scythe form, ready to take an offensive approach.

"Nothing personal Nova." Akhdir said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Don't you dare take it easy on me just because I'm from Vacuo too." Nova retorted.

"I was going to say the same thing." Akhdir stated.

"Begin!" The announcer called. Citrine propelled herself forward and around. Her scythe was blocked by Ramil's microbots. Citrine slashed away at the black bits to no avail. Nova ran forward and blocked Akhdir's punch but was launched up by the blow. Citrine dashed around into the trees and fired at Ramil. Kokh had singled out Johnny and Ventus back peddled against Rasa's advance.

This wasn't going good. They needed Ventus to get through Ramil's defense. In the meantime, Citrine used her speed to avoid Ramil's attacks. Akhdir jumped to bash Nova from the sky. She used a clone to avoid the hit and tagged the large Faunas with a bomb. She kicked off him as the bomb detonated and launched herself into Ramil's range. She sliced away at the bits, joining in with Citrine.

"Nova." Citrine signaled. Nova backflipped to avoid Akhdir's fist which fell just short of hitting Ramil. Nova kicked him in the face. He grabbed her leg and slammed her down. Citrine blocked his next blow but was launched. The momentum caused by the blow should have been devastating. But it was actually much lighter than Citrine expected. That's it, his semblance, he doesn't hit things hard, he just launches them in the direction he hit.

Citrine didn't fight the momentum. Instead she rode it like a sailor rides the wind. She boosted all the way towards Rasa and took her into the sky. She hooked her scythe around the pink-haired girl and slammed her back down.

"Thanks for the assist." Ventus said. She grabbed a boulder in the snowy biome and hurled it at Ramil. The boulder exploded from the dust and Ventus closed the distance to start her long-ranged dust assault.

"Daughter of legends." Rasa grinned. "This is going to be fun." She dashed forward. Citrine was faster and blocked her strikes. Citrine had to be faster. Scythes had too many disadvantages. Without her scatter speed semblance, it would be useless in this kind of situation. That's why Qrow never used his scythe while fighting people.

Citrine kept moving faster and faster around Rasa. The Vacuan was slow compared to Deus, Verdant or even Nova. But she was precise, practiced. She was Eiess levels of coordinated. And no matter how many times Citrine knocked her aside she never lost composure. She just kept pushing, striking at different angles, trying to capitalize on every mistake Citrine couldn't afford to make.

Rasa's hand was surrounded by a pink energy and she stung Citrine in the chest. Citrine's body went numb and her movements slowed down. This was the pinkette's semblance. Nova had warned her. Citrine grit her teeth as she regretted her action. Johnny should have been the one to fight her.

"Citrine!" Johnny called as a light erupted across the stadium. Johnny was fighting Kokh. He was pushing forward, something he rarely did. Citrine could tell he was trying to reach her. Kokh was fast and fluid but Johnny was a natural and moving the way he needed to win. Kokh spun around and wrapped his arm around Johnny in a choke hold. In a blink, Johnny spun his flashlight around and blasted Kokh point-blank. Kokh smacked up against a rock.

"Thirty seconds." Rasa said. "Thirty seconds until your body starts to fall asleep." She laughed. Citrine dashed away and shifted her weapon into shield form. Across the battle, lightning crackled as Ventus and Nova kept up the assault on Akhdir and Ramil.

Citrine blocked Rasa's next attack. Kokh and Johnny reached her at the same time. She spun with her shield causing her opponents to step back. Johnny got between them and fired his weapon, causing Rasa to back off.

"Well this is bad." Citrine said as she went back to back with Johnny. Rasa and Kokh attacked at the same time. Citrine ducked while Johnny countered them both. He slammed his light to the ground. Citrine spun and blocked iit with her shield and was launched towards the others. Kokh fell to the ground. Johnny kicked him in the head, knocking his aura into the red.

Citrine used the momentum of Johnny's attack to launch into Akhdir. She slammed into his back while Nova kicked him in the head. She grunted as she slammed her sword towards his face. He caught the blade. Then, Nova subbed in a clone and slashed him across the stomach. Citrine knew her time was up, so in one last move she slammed her scythe into Akhdir, finishing him off. Then her body went limp as she collapsed.

"Kuso Citrine." Nova huffed in exhaustion. "I warned you." Citrine could only smile. Ramil attacked them. Nova moved Citrine out of the way while Ventus held her off. That part of the field sparked to life with a symphony of dust and metal. Ventus pushed hard against Ramil. Ramil just stood there sending her bits after the group.

Nova got Citrine out of the way and ran to help Ventus. The plan was initiated. Ventus had been fighting Ramil for a while, and had managed to hit a lot of her bits. Ventus strained as she stopped their movement. Nova connected blow after blow on Ramil.

"Hurry up." Ventus strained.

"Ku…so!" Nova huffed as she kept pushing Ramil back. Ramil was obviously not a hand-to-hand fight, and could do little against this tactic.

"Damn." Ventus said as her control broke. Ramil slammed her bits into her, knocking her out. She then surrounded Nova and lightning coursed through the construct. Nova screamed in anger as she slashed outward. She moved fast, fast enough to keep Ramil on the defensive.

A light erupted again as Rasa went flying out of the ring. Johnny ran towards Nova. But instead of backing up, Nova pushed forward. She threw up a clone to keep from being grabbed. Ramil slammed a massive pillar made from her bits into Nova's chest. Nova dropped something as she went flying. She landed next to Citrine.

"Bang." She whispered. The bomb went off and engulfed Ramil. As the light faded, the last Shade student standing, fell to her knees.

"We, did it?" Johnny said. The crowd was cheering. Nova groaned in pain, but she was also laughing.

"Like hell, I'd let you get the last laugh." Nova pushed the words forcibly as she laughed.

"That's the spirit." Citrine mumbled out. Sun and Jaune came into the arena along with a few others. "Hey dad." Citrine tried saying.

"Take the rest of the day off." Jaune said. "You won the first-year bracket." He smiled.

"We…" Citrine passed out with a smile on her face.

When she awoke, she was in a hospital room with Nova. The television was on the final fight in the games. Nova looked to still be passed out. Eiess sat at Citrine's side and clutched her hand.

"Hey." Eiess said. Citrine's eyes focused on the screen. Yang was currently battling Jaune, punching at his constructs. Ren delivered a kick to Sapphire's back, knocking her out. Penny was handling Nora quite well. But against her and Ren, she had a tougher time. Meanwhile Neon was skating circles around Blake. Citrine thought it was weird for someone in their forties to dress like that.

"We won?" Citrine put her thoughts together.

"Yep. You won the last match and secured victory in the first-year bracket." Eiess said. "I'm proud to call you my leader, and my girlfriend." Eiess moved closer and kissed her on the cheek. Nova stirred awake.

"Did we win?" She shot up.

"Yes Nova." Eiess said. "It was your little trick bomb that finished Ramil off."

"YES!" She cheered.

"I knew you'd be happy but what about Vacuo pride?" Eiess asked.

"That's why I couldn't let Johnny finish the job." Nova huffed. She slammed her fist to her chest. "I am Vacuan too. My victory is a Vacuo victory. Even if the records don't show it. It still looks good on my kingdom for me to have been the deciding factor."

"You were the deciding factor in all our victories it seems." Citrine sighed. "I guess my mom is smarter than Qrow when it comes to talent."

"I don't think talent was an issue." Nova said. "He let me in a year early after all. From what I gathered, he didn't want to pick me because he was worried I wouldn't be a team player. Proved him wrong, that's what I did."

"So, you routing for Vale right now?" Citrine said. Nova crossed her arms.

"Might as well." She fumed. Citrine nearly laughed at her friend. The way she acted sometimes, how in the world was she convinced to leave Vacuo?

Yang's hair went stark white as she pummeled into Jaune, knocking him out. With her semblance super charged and it now being three on two, with Blake getting knocked out by Neon, Vale was sure to win.

"Looks like your aunt is stronger than your dad." Eiess said.

"Yang's just better practiced." Nova said.

"I wonder if any of that anger Yang had was because my dad is the only guy my mom has ever been with." Citrine pondered. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Verdant walked in with a bouquet of purple flowers.

"Huh?" Nova blinked.

"N…" He swallowed. "Nova Wukong." He put a hand to his chest. "I wanted to congratulate you on your victory." He bowed. "You did what I was unable to do. I know it's customary in your homeland of Vacuo to build relations on strength. I tend to agree with that sentiment. Which…which is why…I would like to ask you to dinner tonight." He said.

"Awe." Citrine said, which definitely did not help. Nova grit her teeth.

"Don't grovel." She fumed. "Despite your loss, you are strong so stand tall and act like it."

"You realize he just acted the same way you did to my mom." Citrine said.

"Yes ma'am." Verdant stood tall and handed her the flowers.

"They're dahlias." Citrine said. "They're supposed to symbolize dignity." Nova sighed.

"I accept your invitation." Nova said.

"Oh." Citrine did not expect that. Verdant's face lit up but he clearly remembered Nova's proior chastisement.

"I am honored." Verdant said. "Just let me know when you're…."

"Tomorrow." Nova said. "Be in the courtyard of Beacon at sunset."

"Thank you." Verdant said. He walked out of the room.

"I'm surprised."

"It's not like I like him or anything. It'll just be a fun way to celebrate my victory."

"Not that, but he's from Mistral."

"Vacuo is more than just a place." Nova said. "It's a spirit. The kingdom was born in hardships. Surviving out in the desert, with nothing but a large surplus of dust to help us. We were forged in the heart of the sun. Some believe that the kingdom was formed by the sun god herself. But it was the Summer Maiden that forged the kingdom and kept it strong throughout the ages. We were the ones that discovered the only way to keep the Grimm at bay. By building a society on strength and respect. Not the greed, apathy and lies that forged the other kingdoms."

"That's an interesting way to look at it." Eiess said.

"It was a different time, but when Mantle came down and subjugated the Vacuo people, well, that was when Mantle was doomed to fail in the Great War."

"So, you accepted just because Verdant is strong?"

"Infuriatingly so." Nova cursed. "There are people our age, even stronger than me." Nova said. "Ramil, Deus, even Cero would have beaten me if not for my tricks. I can't accept that. If I'm going to be the best I have to get stronger. And anyone willing and able to push me further…those are the people I need to keep close. Not the ones who will coddle me and make up Iyarashī excuses."

"Well, you know we're here for you." Citrine said. "Anytime you need a training partner or someone to wind down with, we're willing."

"Thank you."

"It's no problem. The daughters of Team RWBY should always have each other's back."

 **AN: And that's the end. Like I said, it's been fun. But, I can't help but think that this was overall the weakest arc I've done. It certainly had its moments, but a lot of it just seems like filler compared to what comes next. Next time is the finale of this arc, and another villain chapter.**


	52. Come to Me my Fallen Master

RWBYond Generations

 **AN: Last chapter of this arc. Per usual there will be a teaser for the next arc to hold you over while I take a much needed break from this story. BUT, keep an eye on my profile because I have something different planned for when I'm on Spring Break here pretty soon.**

Chapter 52: Come to Me My Fallen Master

Levi wandered around the halls of the hideout. Avis had wished to speak with him. Perhaps the alchemist had finished recovering from his two and a half millennia or sleep. Levi had reluctantly slowed down on his training. Lately it's just been standard warm ups and maintenance, keeping him ready without pushing him.

Levi was a little disappointed in Cloak. She had talked up her master for twenty years. To find out it was Avis Bran, an impressive man no doubt, but not the kind of being Levi was expecting. He was expecting someone on par with Salem or Ozpin. Not this person who had been slain by a single Argentware. Though, as Levi was discovering, that wasn't the whole story.

He didn't bother knocking on the door. Avis may be Cloak's master but Levi was still the Cipher commander. That was another thing that puzzled Levi. Despite his reputation, Avis seemed to not care about the organization he started. He didn't care about pride or power or even possessions. The only thing he seemed to care about was science.

"So, what makes you think you'll succeed where others failed?" Dr. Watts asked Avis. Avis took note of Levi's presence.

"Whatever do you mean?" Avis smiled.

"The Grimm." Watts mused. "All this…research you are doing. There's only one reason anyone has tried to study the Grimm so…intimately. As you know, I was once a conspirator with Salem. She achieved the power of a god and still failed."

"Oh, my dear diluted doctor." Avis laughed. "You mistake my curiosity for some convoluted conspiracy of some ambiguous ambition." Avis said.

"You are the same man whose ambitions rivaled that of Avarice, are you not?"

"Ah, that I am but that reputation is a misnomer. True, my ambition surpassed that of the Grimm of Greed…in a sense. Avarice wished to rule over this realm. My sights were set…elsewhere."

"No matter." Watts stood. "It was a pleasure meeting your acquaintance."

"Always a pleasure to meet another man of science." Avis shook his hand. Watts walked out of the room, paying no mind to Levi.

"What was all that about?" Levi asked.

"Oh, catching up with over two-thousand years of scientific advancements." Avis said. "You have quite the impressive array of associates."

"Cipher has had a long time to fester. After the Grimm War, so many people who had worked with Salem, were willing to join anyone with disregard for the law."

"The vacuum of power…Cloak informed me of that much." Avis sat at a microscope. "Do you know why they call this realm Remnant?"

"It's supposed to be a reference to the primordial, the one who gave power to the world, creating dust and the Grimm."

"Precisely." Avis quipped. "But hath you thought about where He came from."

"My interests do not go that far back in time." Levi said.

"Well, two millennia later and science seems to have caught up with my theories." He looked in the microscope. I found that when a Grimm dies, it's memories seemed to be passed on to all Grimm-kind. This is how they keep progressing through the ages."

"A super organism, with a hive mind. But it takes many years for a Grimm to develop that level of connection with that pool of experience." Levi recounted. Avis giggled.

"Of course, as an Argentware…you would be much more familiar with that phenomenon than I was at your age." He mused.

"The Battle of Demons Run, when my people first slaughtered all seven Grimoire." Levi stated.

"When I first met Aero Seerlivey, I pondered the actual methodology of her magic. But not until today could I see what silver eyes do on a microscopic scale." He gestured for Levi to step closer. Levi looked through the microscope and saw Grimm essence. "I was right, Grimm, dust, Redstone it all comes from Oblivion."

"We discovered that much some time ago, even the SDC has been looking into breaching into that domain."

"So, I've heard." Avis grinned. "Look closely." Levi did and saw the black sludge go rigid and dry. "It is because you looked at it. Even in its shapeless form, it remembers. A psychological effect so strong that it physically changes the body. Isn't that amazing?" He bellowed.

"Yes, most impressive." Levi rolled his eyes. "For someone who hasn't lived a single day with this power, that is." Avis snapped his fingers and an apple appeared in his hand.

"Don't get snappy with me Seerlivey." He mused. "You are strong, the best fighter Cloak hath ever seen. But I am the greatest mind Remnant hath ever produced."

"A Bran has never beaten an Argentware. That is fact."

"Such ambition for greatness. I find such trivialities exhausting. Oh, how I miss being young." He sighed. "I think it time to move on with my plans."

"I have discovered that the Eye of Truth has changed hands from the Arbiters to the Huntsmen in Vale."

"I don't need the Eye of Truth for what I have planned." Avis put a finger to his lips. "Though it never hurts to have it."

"It was the prize in some competition. A thinly veiled challenge to bring me out into the open."

"You did well to bide your time." Avis complimented. "We'll have time to steal the Eye at a later date."

"Then what are we doing?"

"You, hath quite the nasty reputation. I'm afraid nowhere in the four continents is…safe…to conduct my research. We need land, our own slice of heaven. Somewhere where we can conduct our business in peace. I'm also fascinated by these…artificial humans…Mantle hath developed."

"Avarice felt the same way." Levi interrupted.

"We really were two birds of a feather. Anyway, Dr. Watts tells me the two of you have a mutual acquaintance named Merlot, who could be of use."

"I'll send Issabella to find him." Levi said. "He probably won't come for anyone else."

"Also, this…Shadow in a Flask."

"Will have to wait." Levi said. "It is currently sitting on the desk of Raven Branwen, a troublesome descendent of yours and the sitting leader of the Arbiters."

"I see…and to my understanding her twin currently watches over Ozpin's old home."

"Ironic that your two closest relatives have taken the place of two of your greatest rivals." Levi smirked.

"Hmm…I don't know about closest…red eyes and the name Branwen aside…I'm much more interested in the one who has inherited the power I unlocked from tempering with the Black Gate."

"Yang Xiao Long." Levi spat the name as if it were venom. "The Blessed White Raven is a troublesome power. She and her closest allies have long been a thorn in my side."

"Cloak told me that it was her partner who provided the last necessary Faunas DNA sample that gave me my body."

"She put up a fight." Levi mused. "But Dagger was even better."

"And that brings us to your problem. Ms. Xiao Long's sister…the Rose."

"Ruby Rose is my kill. But any assistance you can lend in clearing my way is appreciated."

"Oh Seerlivey, I can do so much more." Avis laughed. "The flood gates will fill and we'll be well on our way to achieving all that we desire…" He lifted his hand up, with his thumb and middle finger pressed together. "With but a snap of my fingers."

 **AN: To be continued. It's been a blast. Next arc will continue in a few weeks. Until then, here's a preview.**

 _ **Vale rooftop**_

 **Nephrite stands looking out into the sea. Ren joins her.**

 **Ren: Is something troubling you?**

 **Nephrite: No, it's just…I'm eighteen now, and I don't feel any different.**

 **Ren: You're not going to change overnight.**

 **He runs his hand through her head.**

 **The moon shines on the ocean.**

 **Team CTEN and JANS sit at the beach having a good time.**

 **Nephrite cooks food in the lounge for her team.**

 **Citrine wakes up and looks at the sleeping Eiess.**

 **Prim and Glade train together while Ruby and Jaune watch.**

 **Yang trains with Nova.**

 **Avis holds his hand up to the moon and snaps his fingers.**

 **Levi: This will be my finest hour.**

 **Ruby: This will be your final hour.**

 **Water rushes through city streets.**

 **Topaz is launched into the air by a massive Grimm.**

 **Jet Black dodges punches from this same Grimm.**

 **Helios struggles to his feet against the monster.**

 **Ruby and Levi clash blades.**

 **Raven swings her sword at Cloak.**

 **Qrow fires his gun at Dagger.**

 **Johnny fires his light into a crowd of Grimm.**

 **Citrine blocks a blow from the Grimm from before.**

 **Nova screams as she slashes through a horde of crab-Grimm.**

 **Yang sends an uppercut into Avis' stomach.**

 **A nuckelavee screams into the air.**

 **Ren watches from the front of a crowd of people.**

 **Nephrite palm strikes a Grimm's face off with tears in her eyes.**

 **Nova bounces into the air while fighting the massive Grimm others were fighting.**

 **Helios: I don't care how many times you put me down. So, long as I draw breath, I will not let you touch these people. Because that's what being a huntsman means to me!**

 **Citrine slashes through a large Grimm with the light of the Argentware shining in her eyes.**

 **Citrine: That's what it means to me too.**

 **Eiess summons a Griffon to take out a nevermore.**

 **Nora smashes through a large crustacean Grimm.**

 **Ruby drops to her knees, her arms scathed and bleeding.**

 **Cinder: It's time we find our own slice of heaven.**


	53. Beach Party

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: Well that was an interesting hiatus. Not really a hiatus because I was still posting chapters of other stuff but you know what I mean. By the way, bloody hell Just Act Casually went well. I just wanted it to be an entertaining novelty to pad out my creativity for this arc. It ended up being my most monstrously successful story to date. There's a lesson there somewhere.**

Chapter 53: Beach Party

Topaz glided across the water. She used her semblance to propel herself across the water. Now this, was her kind of vacation. Termina Bay used to be quite the tourist destination. On the southern edge of Sanus, it was covered in white sands with a consistent tropical temperature. But the Great War ravaged the town that was built on the bay.

Now it just served as a top vacation spot for huntsmen. There have been petitions to rebuild the town but it just wasn't worth it. Other than the beautiful coastline, there wasn't much in terms of resources. At least, not the kinds of resources necessary to sustain a town. So, groups of huntsmen would come down here and enjoy the beach free from the hustle and bustle of other tourist traps. And it gave them opportunity to simulate a community.

As Topaz twirled through the air and water like some hopped up water spirit, her friends were all on the beach or wallowing in the shallows. Ruby and Jaune were chaperoning the group. Ruby sat on top of a tower while Jaune played in the sand with Gelb beneath her. Eiess, Citrine and Prim were all bathing in the sun. Prim was writing something in her notepad. Eiess was relaxing beneath a parasol and drinking lemonade. Citrine was between them seriating them with her guitar.

Nephrite was drifting on an inflatable raft, soaking in the salt water. Glade was swimming around nearby with a pair of goggles on. Johnny, Nova and Ariadne were all swimming and talking. Scott sat in the old concession stand the gang had stored all their provisions. He volunteered to run the provisions, as swimming wasn't exactly something he wanted to do.

"Incoming." Topaz said as she flaunted her powers. She made a tidal wave that slammed into Nephrite and Glade, washing all three of them on shore in a tangle.

"I think you over did it." Nephrite said flatly. Topaz untangled herself from the pair.

"Gah." Glade gasped. His head had been caught between Nephrite's thigh and the sand. "A little more of a warning next time." He brushed the sand of his trunks which were green with a red flame pattern.

"Oops." Was all Topaz could say as she readjusted herself. Her baby blue bikini had nearly come off from all the activity. Luckily it was form fitting enough to stay on. Otherwise that would have probably given the poor teenager a nose bleed.

"It's fine." Nephrite smiled. "No one was hurt." Nephrite wore a jade-green bikini with pink lotus flowers scattered on it.

"Yeah, you're right." Glade's face was still red but he was calm.

"Topaz!" Ruby called. "I don't mind you training but please be careful."

"I know Mrs. Ruby!" Topaz waved at her.

"Ahh." Glade collapsed into the sand. Nephrite took a seat next to him. "This has been an amazing vacation.

"It's nice getting out of the house for a while." Nephrite said.

"When we go back, you'll have to go back to Beacon." Glade said solemnly.

"Don't remind me." Topaz groaned. "Second year things get serious. Granted we haven't had a real fight since we went up against the Chaos Syndicate."

"Hm." Nephrite crossed her legs. "There's still stuff that bothers me about all that."

"Like what?" Glade asked.

"It's…nothing probably. Just, all that talk about Cipher and yet…it's like they don't exist. It's like after they attacked Eiess' house they just up and left. And now it seems they were the ones behind that train attack, not the Chaos Syndicate. I just don't like not knowing."

"Hey, let my mom handle it. We're all just kids."

"Yeah, speak for yourself. I'm eighteen now and so is your sister." Topaz pointed to Glade. "This time next year you and Prim and Chénzi will be taking the entrance exams for Beacon. Time likes to fly that way."

"Still." Glade sat up. "I'm sure there'll be plenty of problems we'll have to solve. But my mom was quite adamant about leaving Cipher to her. You saw what she did to Nova's mom when she found out she was going after them."

"Your mom is just really protective." Nephrite stated. "She's also the strongest huntress alive. It's why the world works the way it does, so differently than how things were for our parents' time."

"So, what do you think Neph?" Glade asked. "You're turning eighteen pretty soon."

"I don't know." Nephrite said. "Take it for what it is. We're in a dangerous line of work. If we see something going down, take action. But with the Chaos Syndicate locked up there's no need to search for trouble."

"Never know when trouble is going to come up and slap you right in your face." Topaz said.

"Yep, so take action and enjoy the little things." Nephrite said. "That's what my parents keep saying." Topaz nodded.

"I'm going to head over to the concessions." She said. "Want anything?"

"I'm good." Nephrite asked.

Topaz took her leave and headed up the beach. Johnny had left the water and was now starring out into the sea. Nova was swimming back and forth. Ariadne sat in the shallows, playing with a large crab. Citrine and Eiess were leaning into each other, on the verge of making out.

"Get a room!" Prim said as she kicked Citrine. Citrine just laughed her little sister off. She stood up and stretched and headed for the water. Eiess followed behind her with a smile on her face. Prim got up and went for the concession stand too.

"Getting annoyed with your sister?" Topaz asked.

"God, she's like a dog in heat I swear." Prim said.

"You'll understand when you have a boyfriend." Topaz said. "Or girlfriend."

"Yeah, I'm not gay." Prim said.

"What can I get for you ladies?" Scott asked with his usual charm.

"Water please." Prim said. "And put it in a spray bottle so I can douse Eiess and Citrine."

"That bad huh?" Topaz laughed. Scott shook his head and ducked down into the icebox. "I'll have some lemonade." Topaz said.

"I freaking caught them making out in Citrine's room the other day."

"Oh, they're just enjoying themselves." Topaz said.

"Yeah, I get it. The difference is that when mom busts me making out with my boyfriend I get grounded. When Citrine does it, it's cute. I thought Argent and Gelb were supposed to be the babies of the family." She gestured to her two younger brothers. Argent was making a design in the sand and Gelb was crawling through it.

"Here you go." Scott said as he passed them their drinks.

"Wait, you have a boyfriend?"

"Had, a few." Prim said.

"But you're so…you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, I just assumed all of you were super sheltered and groomed to be warriors or something." Topaz ranted.

"You can't be sheltered and groomed that way. My dad might be overprotective and my mom has a super childish view on romance but you forget who my aunts are. All eight of my aunts are very hip to the way kids are, or at least were like, twenty years ago."

"That makes sense but…Glade?"

"Glade what?" Prim said facetiously.

"He's got it so bad for Nephrite." Topaz said.

"Oh, you noticed." Prim quipped. Topaz let out a held breath.

"For a second there I thought you didn't know."

"Please, we're twins. We can read each other's mind. Right now, he's thinking how he can get Nephrite to notice him." Topaz looked back and saw Glade attempting small talk with Nephrite.

"I…don't think you need mind powers to see that. So, why doesn't he just ask her out?"

"Because he's scared." Prim said. "I don't really get it either. I've never had someone I've crushed on my whole life. We all grew up together. The children of Team JNPR, that is. Or maybe the temporary Team RNJR is much more fitting. He doesn't want to do anything that compromises what he thinks is this lifelong bond they share."

"It doesn't help that Nephrite has the romantic repertoire of an amoeba." Topaz noted.

"That's why it'll never happen. They just don't…go, together. Glade thinks he knows what he wants but even if he gets it, it won't be how he wants. Eiess took the same gamble with my sister and got lucky. Even so, I know Citrine still has attraction to guys as well. Can't blame her though. Now that she's with Eiess I'm thinking of taking a swing at Johnny myself."

"Alright, keep that to yourself." Topaz said as she grabbed her lemonade. "Nice talking to you Prim. Have fun doing, whatever it is you do."

"You too." Prim responded. She skipped on over to her little brothers and started fixing the doodles Argent was making. Her left hand moved in conjunction with Argent's left hand, only to have the infant Gelb roll around in it.

"Topaz." Scott said.

"Yes?"

"Well, I couldn't help over hearing what you were saying to Prim."

"Look if you're going to try to ask me out…"

"It's not that." Scott waved her off. "Offers on the table but I'm not as chivalrous as some of the people around here."

"Yeah, I think that's one thing I do like about you. You're a realist who won't stand out in the rain waiting on something that'll never come."

"I was thinking about setting something up. Just to see what Nephrite actually thinks. Give the poor kid a chance to express himself directly to her."

"One, why? Two, how? Three, you've peaked my interest."

"Well Prim and Glade write comics together and…even though Prim does most of the writing and Glade does the illustrations you can definitely see what's going on in his head through the writing. I mean, if Nephrite were to read some of this stuff she'd probably feel guilty."

"That just raises the question on how you know this."

"Prim was sharing them with me earlier." Scott noted. "So, you know how Nephrite always babysits her siblings. What if…she wasn't the only one? Then, what if, some handsome devil decided to take them off her hands and leave her and Glade alone for a while?"

"This plan sounds stupid. It might actually work. But who's the handsome devil? I doubt Johnny would be on board with something like this."

"Come on, I'm right here." Scott pouted.

"I'm just playing." Topaz said. "We should make sure we have a game plan and let Glade know. That way, he doesn't screw it all up."

"Alright, it's settled." Scott said. "So, this stays between me, you, Glade, and might as well bring Prim into this."

"Sounds fair to me."

"Alright that's all I wanted to say. Enjoy your day." Scott waved.

"Enjoy your day too."

 **AN: And we're back. Feels pretty good. The reason for all this is because Nephrite is going to get a lot more development in this arc than she has before. Actually, most of these characters are finally getting moments to shine.**


	54. Pushing Even Further

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: This has been an exhausting couple of days. As I write this, I just woke up and it's four in the morning. I've got way too much to do today, it's really not funny. Luckilly this is a simple chapter.**

Chapter 54: Pushing Even Further

Nova's entire body strained as she punched Yang again. Her punches were slow but heavy. This was her idea and Yang had been happy to oblige. Yang's body shuttered with every impact. Sure, she could have dodged but that wasn't the purpose of this exercise. Nova was building up her strength and hoping her speed would increase with it. She twisted her body for a kick. A massive pain shot through Nova's back as she collapsed, unable to follow through with the kick.

"You can't try moves like that under this exercise." Yang warned. Nova staggered back to her feet and grit her teeth.

"If I can't move like that with all this on I won't be able to move like they did." Nova's mind flashed to those she fought in the Huntsmen Games.

"Training weights aren't for everyone." Yang said. Nova extended her heavy foot at Yang's face. Yang blocked it and with a simple push, put Nova back to the ground. "Take five."

"I don't have time for breaks." Nova fumed. Yang swatted the back of her head.

"Have you learned nothing? You're running yourself ragged again. All of this was your idea but you have to do it right." Nova's nostrils flared as she removed the weights from the arms. "You're adding a tremendous weight to all your limbs AND your tail. So, you must keep things simple until your body has time to adjust. Otherwise you'll destroy your back."

"Whatever." Nova took the weights off her legs. "Verdant was able to move just fine with them on."

"Verdant has been doing this training for years. When it comes to this kind of stuff, Neptune is smarter than me. He knows the limits of his students and I guarantee when Verdant started off he was in an even worse boat."

"He said it was out of necessity." Nova unstrapped the weight on her tail. It did feel good to be free from the weights.

"Is that all he said?" Yang grinned with her metallic hand to her chin.

"We talked about other stuff." Nova's face heated up.

"What kind of other stuff." Yang pried.

"All kinds of stuff that I don't really care to share with you." Nova said.

"Awe, is my little banana nut muffin smitten with this exotic stranger?"

"As if. I merely have a decent respect for Verdant. You can see the effort he puts in. If he can do all those things with his condition, lose, and still smile, that's worth my respect if nothing else."

"What about Johnny? You always go on about how strong he is but you don't seem to like him as much."

"It's complicated. I respect him. He's certainly earned that. But he always sounds so condescending and I don't think he realizes it. Not only that but I've never seen him lose. You don't know what someone is really like until the chips are down and they're faced with a dilemma."

"I can see that." Yang sat down next to her.

"I just want to be strong." Nova put her head to her knees. "I see people like him, and Verdant and Deus, that Cero girl, Akhdir, Ramil, even Citrine. I know that I have no right to be weak." Nova's voice shuttered. "But no matter how hard I try there's always someone stronger! Kuso!"

"Sometimes people just…talent will only get you so far and hard work will get you further. But someone who has both, someone like Citrine, they become a force to be reckoned with. I think that could be you." Yang wrapped her arm around Nova and pulled her close.

"It's their fault." Nova fumed.

"Whose fault?"

"My mom and dad. Citrine was pushed so much by her parents. But mine, Dad always coddled me and my mom was never around. The only one there who would always train me was you."

"You are saying, I'm not good enough?" Yang said.

"Maybe."

"Nova…they have a whole year of hard work over you. And yes, your mom not being around is at least a reasonable reason for you to miss out on that training. But I know that doesn't matter because you are well on your way to surpassing her. Keep going at this rate and you'll surpass me soon enough." Yang squeezed her tight.

"You really think so?" Nova asked.

"I do…and Ruby does too. That's why she helps train you when she has the time."

"Which is almost never." Nova pouted.

"Hey, she's got plenty of mouths to feed already."

"I know. And I know I'm lucky she even bothers with me."

"She wouldn't bother if she didn't see a greatness inside of you." Yang rubbed the younger girl's back and ran her other hand through the thick black hair.

"Well then why haven't I…"

"Stop." Yang put a finger to her lips. "You have proven it. You did way better in the Huntsmen Games than anyone thought you would."

"You're right." Nova admitted after a moment of silence. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, kiddo." Yang kissed the top of her head. "Sometimes I wish you were my kid." The thought made Nova smile. "I'm so proud of you."

"Then why did you lie to me?" The thought left Nova's mouth before she could stop it.

"I regret it. I just…your mom means the world to me too. I…I needed her help and she needed me. But all that's over now. Her leg has only gotten worse."

"That's why she's home…in Vacuo?"

"She'd come here if you showed any desire to be with her."

"Iyarashi." Nova cursed. "There's a line between what's good for me and what I want. If she really wanted to be in my life there's nothing I could do about it. Just look at my dad!"

"Let's change the subject please." Yang said. "How was your vacation?"

"It was pretty cool." Nova started lightening up. "The beach was great. We told stories and sang songs and I even managed to get a few hours of training in with Mrs. Ruby."

"See, we all need a break every once and a while. No one can go on forever." Nova stared out at the setting sun. "That's why you got your name. Nova, the phenomenon that stars go through when they die and turn back into stardust. Both of your parents are well aware of how fragile life can be. If even stars die then what use is there in achieving immortality. But we do. We live on…through our children." Yang said solemnly.

"I think you'd make a great mom." Nova said. "I think…you would settle down and raise that child, set aside the Arbiter instead of becoming one like my mom and your mom did."

"Problem would be finding a man who's worth the effort." Yang said. "I'm not that old, but I'm not exactly a young spring chicken either."

"Well that's for you to deal with." Nova said. "Far be it from me to give dating advice to anyone, let alone you."

"Aunt Yang! Nova!" Citrine called out and ran into the clearing.

"What's up Citrine?" Yang asked.

"Dinner is ready." Citrine said. "How was training?"

"I think we're making progress." Yang said. "We'll pick it up tomorrow."

They walked down the trail towards the Rose House of Patch. It might as well have been a landmark. It wasn't the original, that one had burned down eighteen years ago. But everyone on the island knew where Ruby and Jaune Rose-Arc lived.

They sat down at the picnic bench that was set up outside. Citrine and Jaune set out the plates with hotdogs and chips. Prim and Glade sat next to each other, across from Citrine and Eiess. Nova and Yang sat across each other, with Nova next to Argent.

"Glad you can all join us." Ruby said.

"We'll be back at Beacon tomorrow." Eiess said.

"What do you want to drink?" Jaune asked.

"I'll have milk." Eiess said.

"Ooh, can I have some wine?" Citrine asked.

"You can have a glass." Ruby said.

"How come she gets too?" Prim asked.

"She's eighteen now. She's officially an adult." Jaune stated.

"Oh, right." Prim grumbled.

"I'll have the strongest thing in your liquor cabinet." Yang said.

"Wine it is." Ruby said.

"Not too whine but…is that seriously the best you got."

"That's the best you're getting." Ruby said. Prim snickered at her aunt.

"I'll have tea." Nova said.

"Alright." Jaune poured everyone their drinks.

"So, Nova, where's Johnny?" Prim asked.

"He's at Beacon doing…whatever it is he does in his free time."

"You've got quite the charming team." Ruby said. "It was nice getting to know them during our vacation."

"I like Ariadne." Argent spoke, which was a rarity. "She's nice."

"She tries." Nova said. "She's like the opposite of me. She's tries so hard to be nice but will snap after a point."

"Scott seems really cool." Glade said. "He um…yeah, he and Topaz said they were going to help me with something."

"Help you with what?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, it's a…."

"Nephrite." Prim sung and then made kissy noises. Glade's face went beat red.

"Prim!" Glade said indignantly.

"All my babies are falling in love and growing up so fast." She fake-cried.

"I'm not." Prim said.

"Whatever." Citrine said. "You were all over Johnny the other day."

"I was just having fun." Prim shrugged. Ruby's eyes focused on Yang.

"What?" Yang asked.

"Nothing just…. this all seems so familiar." Ruby sighed.

"You're a bad influence." Jaune clarified.

"Hey, I can't help it if your kids pick up from the cool sides of the family." Yang said as she put her sunglasses on.

"Yeah." Prim put her shades on and fist bumped Yang.

"Well this explains a lot." Jaune sighed. He took Gelb into his arms. "Please grow up with some actual sense." Gelb burped up on Jaune then started laughing. Then everyone was laughing except Jaune.

"I think that was a no." Nova said with a smile. She loved this place. She considered the Rose-Arcs as her second family, especially since she started spending more time here. It was satisfying knowing that the strongest warrior in history could have so much fun just being with her family. And she was relieved that so many could care about her while also pushing her forward.

 **AN: That's it for this chapter. I love doing this little life chapters more than anything. But things are going to finally pick up soon enough. And when they do, I don't know if it'll ever stop.**


	55. Icing on the Cake

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: This is another cutesy life chapter. There's probably too God Damn many of those in this story already but that's what happens when I want major plot beats on benchmark chapters. Even though I plan on this story going as long as RWBYond Vale, there's a lot more padding.**

Chapter 55: Icing on the Cake

Eiess has on cloud nine every time she woke up. There first semester back at Beacon was going smoothly. Eiess was getting good grades. She was ranking within the top five in her sparring matches, beneath Johnny, Nova, Topaz and Citrine, the latter of which Eiess always loved being under.

It had been Citrine's idea to push their beds together. They hadn't done anything other than cuddle and kiss but that's all Eiess needed for now. And every day she would wake up with her head on Citrine's chest, and her arms wrapped around Citrine's body. Citrine would always wake first and just spend a few minutes running her fingers through Eiess' hair. Eiess pretended not to wake up immediately from the touch but her smile often betrayed her.

"Wake up sleepy head." Citrine cooed. Eiess turned in the bed. Citrine sat up and looked down at her half-asleep face.

"Just five more minutes." Eiess groaned.

"Come on, I'm sure Nephrite has already made breakfast." Citrine stood up but Eiess grabbed her by the hem of her pants and pulled her back down.

"Nephrite can bring it in here." Eiess said as she peppered a kiss onto Citrine's thigh.

"Eiess we need to get up." Citrine broke free from Eiess grasp. Eiess groaned as she sat up. She watched with held breath as Citrine changed into her school uniform. Eiess followed suit and took her time, fishing for Citrine's eyes to watch her the way she had. But the look never came.

"One of these days." Eiess said to herself. She followed Citrine down the hall and into the lounge. Sure enough, Nephrite was working away at the stove making omelets.

"Hey Neph, did you do the reading for Sociology?"

"Yes." Nephrite said.

"Can you give me the cliff notes?"

"You can read my notes while we're in Hunter Law." Nephrite answered.

"We didn't have homework in that class, did we?"

"No. We were just supposed to study for the test next week. We're going over the study guide today."

"Thank you." Citrine sighed in relief.

"As leader, you should be doing all this on your own."

"I've been a bit distracted lately."

"It's no problem for me, really, it's just good advice."

"Hey girls." Topaz walked in.

"Just in time." Nephrite said. Topaz sat down in a chair and pulled out a crudely drawn comic.

"Is that one of the twins'?" Citrine asked.

"Sure is." Topaz said. "By the way, why didn't you tell me your sister was such a badass?"

"I don't know." Citrine shrugged. "She used to just be normal nice. I guess since I started coming here something's gotten into her."

"Well, you have some cool siblings." Topaz noted.

"Thanks." Citrine said flatly. "I'm glad the two of you have started hanging out."

"Hey, where are we going for Survival class?" Eiess asked.

"I don't think we're going anywhere." Citrine said. "I know we're preparing that field trip to Vytal pretty soon."

"Oh." Eiess took a drink of her coffee.

"So Neph, what're you doing for your birthday?"

"That's coming up pretty soon, isn't it?" Nephrite said as she took her seat and passed the plates around. "I'm probably going to be too busy to really do anything."

"Well, we should catch a movie or something." Topaz said slyly. Nephrite narrowed her gaze but didn't respond.

"I'm glad we're able to all eat in here." Eiess said as she leaned her head on Citrine's shoulder. "It's like we're one big happy family."

"Helps that Neph is a better cook than the one in the cafeteria." Topaz said. "Seriously, whatever guy hooks up with you is going to be incredibly lucky."

"Ahem." Nephrite hummed into her tea.

"I don't know if it'll ever happen." Citrine said. "In all the time I've known you, you haven't once showed any interest in a romantic relationship."

"Perhaps all she needs is someone good enough to ask her out." Topaz said. "Just look at you and Eiess. You would have never thought…but here you are. I swear if it wasn't for Nephrite and I being in the same room the two of you would have…."

"What would you do if someone asked you out?" Eiess cut Topaz off.

"I don't know." Nephrite shrugged and set her cup down. "It would depend on the who and the why. If they were nice and genuine I'd probably at least give them a chance."

"Neat." Topaz said.

"Okay, what is your deal?" Nephrite said. "All semester you've been…overly nice."

"Whatever do you mean?" Topaz mused.

"I mean, I think if you have feelings for someone you should just come out and say it. Maybe not kiss them right away but still. I know you're not the kind to be shy, which is how I know you're not coming on to me. But some of the things you've said has me questioning what I thought of you."

"Hey." Eiess was a little offended at the subtle jab at how she had confessed her own feeling for Citrine.

"Well, I'm not coming on to you. I just may know someone who is crushing on you hard."

"Who?" Nephrite said.

"Oh, you precious piece of jade. Always so wise yet so oblivious."

"Oh!" Citrine said.

"What?" Eiess asked her partner.

"I'll tell you later." Citrine said. She then pecked a kiss to the top of Eiess' head.

"Who, wait is it Scott?"

"It's not my place to tell." Topaz said. "But me and a few other people are planning on giving you the best birthday ever."

"Well then, looks like I'm just going to have to wait." Nephrite sighed. Citrine's alarm started buzzing.

"We got to go." Citrine stood up. Eiess stood next to her and grabbed her hand. "To class." Citrine raised her other hand as their teammates stood.

"Another day at Beacon Academy." Nephrite said flatly.

"This is going to be an interesting week." Topaz smirked.

Survival class was a very hands-on type of course. Second-year teams had a much more unified schedule than first-years. There would be large stretches of time where a team would simply be away on a mission with Prof Ren or Prof Nora or some other huntsman that Headmaster Qrow hired for such jobs. This was the one of two, under-classman classes that the clandestine headmaster taught himself. The other was Strategy and Tactics, which was specifically for leaders. In his mind the ability to survive under any circumstances was a most important issue.

"So, there I was." Qrow said. "Admittedly I was barely conscious throughout the ordeal. My squad leader…she tried dragging me out of the hospital as it was laid under fire."

"Wow." Citrine gawked.

"I hate days like today." Nova pouted.

"I love them."

"All he does is tell stories about his life." Nova growled. "These in-between days are a pain."

"Would you rather me fire you out of a canon into the Emerald Forest and see how long it takes for you to get back?" Qrow said.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Nova stood her ground. Citrine facepalmed.

"Gutsy kid." Qrow took a drink from his flask. "This may not interest you so much as I've said it. But this happened on the tail end of the Faunas War."

"That's ancient history. I already learned all about it in grade school."

"I guess Vacuo cares more about the event itself than the other kingdoms do."

"Yeah." Nova crossed her arms. "It's an event that illustrates just how terrible things were, especially for Faunas, in the decades before the Grimm War. It might be a good story for a history class but this is Survival."

"True as that may be." Qrow stood in front of her. "There's still a lot of scary things out there. The Nightingale Hospital Massacre was one of the scariest days of my life. Right up there with the day I lost my eye." He tapped his eyepiece. "Now, can anyone think of a scenario where this story might imply?"

"I do sir." Eiess raised her hand. For the last few weeks she had tried bringing her grade up in the class. Part of that was participating in class discussion. When the semester started, Eiess had been out of her depth.

"Alright Ice Queen Jr., lay it on."

"Well…Cipher." Eiess said. "Or well…other powerful bandits and such. Just look at the Chaos Syndicate. Sure, we were able to bring them down and in but there's still plenty of people who used to work for the Witch Salem who would love to destabilize our way of life."

"That's precisely why." Qrow said. "I'm not going to say you shouldn't trust anyone. Mistrust is a dangerous thing, especially for a team. But there may be people out there who wish you harm. As huntsmen, you must be ready to fight for the people of Remnant…. against anything."

Eiess smiled. It was relieving to hear her professor compliment her in a class she wasn't as confident in. Eiess always felt like she had to be that straight-A student. So, in a class as important as this, getting a B was not going to cut it.

"Good job." Citrine whispered as she pinched her leg. The act caused all the blood to rush to Eiess' face.

"So, to wrap up, I want you all to write a page about how you would handle the situation I was in. Leaders, I want you to try writing what you would have done in my leader's situation." Qrow took a seat. "You have until the end of class and can work with your teams."

"This will be easy." Citrine said as she grabbed her notebook.

"How come?" Eiess asked.

"Well, his leader…was my grandmother." Citrine said. "I've grown up with stories about her. So I just have to ask myself what she did."

"Oh." Eiess said. "I don't know what I would do if you had to drag me around a burning building. I can't imagine feeling so useless."

"Well then, write about that." Citrine stated. Eiess started writing stuff down. Then something sparked her curiosity and this was a good time to ask.

"So, what is going on with Nephrite and Topaz?" Eiess asked.

"Oh…it's my brother."

"Glade?"

"Yep, he's totally crushing on Neph."

"Awe, that's so sweet." Eiess said a little louder than she intended.

"What did she do?" Topaz asked as she took a seat next to them. Nephrite followed soon after.

"It's um…nothing." Eiess stammered. Citrine glanced at her teammates unassumingly. Nephrite raised an eyebrow at their faces.

"Alright. So, what're we going to do?" Topaz asked.

 **AN: Like I said, mostly a filler chapter. The more important stuff is coming next chapter actually. The next three chapters are important character stuff and then stuff will really start going down.**


	56. Path of the Argentware

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: Things are going to be a bit interesting in this chapter. On a side note, I just uploaded a video called "What if RWBY Volume 1 Was Good?" I do the Belated Media thing of how I would have changed it for the better.**

Chapter 56: Path of the Argentware

Citrine woke one fine Saturday morning. The light of the midday sun shined through the window highlighting the sleeping Eiess' porcelain face. Citrine couldn't help but smile. Waking up to someone with such admiration and love was something Citrine could, and very much had, gotten used to.

She stretched her arms out and shuffled off the bed. She changed into her usual skirt, top and orange cape. She walked into the lounge and got herself a cup of coffee. The lack of Nephrite or Topaz told her that they were already up and about, likely at Nephrite's house. Citrine's scroll started buzzing. It was her mom.

"Hey." Citrine answered.

"Good morning Citrine." Ruby answered back.

"Good morning Mom."

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, got up a few minutes ago."

"Hey can I ask a huge favor of you?"

"Sure."

"Can you come home today?"

"Why, what's up?"

"Your father decided to go to a conference all the way in Mistral. Which would be fine but there's an emergency near Vytal I have to take care of."

"So, you need me to watch the kids?"

"Mostly just make sure the twins don't burn the house down. You won't have to worry about Gelb, he's with your father."

"Alright." Citrine sighed.

"I'm sorry sweetie. I hope I didn't ruin any plans."

"No, it's fine. Eiess can come too, right?"

"Of course."

"Alright, I'll catch the next airship to Patch."

"Thank you. You're the best."

"I know." Citrine smiled.

"I love you."

"Love you too Mom."

"Goodbye."

"Bye-bye." Citrine hung up. She walked back into the room. "Eiess, wake up."

"Hmm." Eiess stirred awake. Citrine passed her a cup of coffee. "We need to go to my house on Patch for tonight."

"How come?" Eiess said sleepily.

"My dad's out of town and my mom's addressing an emergency."

"Alright." Eiess was satisfied with the answer. She changed into her usual dress and grabbed her weapon off her desk.

The pair walked to the school's dock and hopped on an airship making its way to Patch. Eiess kept drinking her coffee in silence for the short trip there. When they got to Patch's ship bay, Prim, Glade and Argent were waiting for them.

"What's up guys?" Citrine said.

"Hey sis." Prim crossed her arms.

"It's good to see you all again." Eiess said.

"Did Mom already leave?"

"Yeah." Prim said. "I don't get why she wanted you two here."

"Do you not want us here?"

"It's not that, I just don't see the point." Prim said.

"She probably figured Eiess and I would be fine just hanging out around the house." Citrine groaned. "Leaving you two to do whatever you want." Prim put a finger to her lips.

"Could be." Prim turned on her heel and walked towards their house.

"So, how's training been going for you two?" Eiess asked.

"It's been going alright." Glade said.

"I've been doing so much better than him." Prim gloated. Glade's face twisted in resentment. "He gets so flustered when I rub it in his face."

"Leave me alone." Glade huffed.

"Play nice Prim." Citrine commanded. They got to the house and Citrine sat on the couch.

"Whatever." Prim rolled her eyes. "So, since I know Glade's dying to ask…how's Nephrite?"

"Same as always." Citrine answered. Glade's face went red. "Hey bud, is there anything I can help you with?"

"I'm…I'm…" Glade was still flustered at Prim's teasing. "We recorded our last sparring match."

"Alright, I can give you some pointers, one shield user to another." Citrine nodded.

Glade hooked his scroll up to the TV and started playing the clip. Ruby and Jaune were in the back. Prim had taken a lot of her fighting style from their father. She utilized a sword and shield like his. The main difference was that her sword split into a pair of pistols. Glade used a circular shield and a spear.

Glade was fighting much more aggressively. He kept lunging and thrusting at Prim, but the girl kept dancing around the attacks and chipping away at him. The only time it even looked even was when they focused on using their semblance. Glade created a red hammer construct and Prim created a yellow fist construct. When they collided, it was a stale mate that formed into an orange ball construct before dissipating.

After the light from the clash faded, Prim ran behind Glade and tripped him up. She then shot him in the chest, securing her victory. The video ended. Prim looked pretty proud of herself. Glade looked disappointed.

"Told you." Prim gloated.

"What did Dad say?" Citrine asked.

"He said I wasn't using my shield right." Glade answered.

"Well, that's a symptom." Citrine said. "I wouldn't even pick up on it if not for Nova constantly doing the opposite of what you did."

"What would that be."

"Prim adapted. You kept your weapon in its most powerful form, just trying to land that big hit. There was no setup. There was no thought or strategy, just trying to be the strongest or fastest. And she made short work of you on that."

"It's probably because Prim has a better example of what a sword wielder does, than you do a spear wielder." Eiess said.

"I guess that makes sense." Glade said.

"Try some weapon shifting drills. Try to make it to where you can change forms with a single swing. Trust me, it'll go a long way in making you more unpredictable."

"Thanks sis." Glade gave her a hug. "You're the best."

"Anything you need bud." Citrine looked at her other younger brother. "So, Argent, do you know what weapon you're going to want?"

"I think I want a sword too." Argent muttered. "But not like Dad, I want like…two swords."

"Well then, see if that works. You want to use a weapon you feel good holding. Try out a couple and see which one hits."

"I know." Argent said.

"Hmm…Ooh, I kinda want to go to Cliffside Altar." Citrine said. "It's a beautiful day for a picnic."

"That sounds fun." Eiess said.

"Alright…" Citrine thought. "I'll make the sandwiches. Twins, you two make the sides. Eiess, you make the drinks. Argent, you get some snacks."

"Alright." Prim said.

They worked as a single unit to set the picnic up. Cliffside Altar was a special place. It had a gorgeous view of the ocean. It's also where their grandparents had altars. Though, only their grandfather was buried there, their grandmother hadn't left a body when she passed.

The trail to the cliffside was pretty lengthy. Patch wasn't exactly large, it was much smaller than the city of Vale, but it would still take a few hours to walk from one end to the other. The Rose House was close to the center of the island, just outside the town. Cliffside was on the furthest eastern extension of the island.

When they arrived there, they spotted a man standing at the altars. He had inky black hair that hung past his neck. His thin build was made even thinner by the tight leathery outfit he wore. In his hand, he held a sword, it was an old corsair sword with a shining silvery blade. He seemed to be examining the sword.

"Hello?" Citrine said. The man turned towards them. He had a mask on the lower half of his face. His eyes were cold and black.

"You must be the Rose-Arcs." He said.

"That's right." Citrine felt a chill down her spine. There was something unsettling.

"Citrine? Yes, I remember seeing you in the Huntsmen Games." He said. "Beautiful day for a picnic, yes?"

"That's right." Citrine edged forward. "Did you know them?"

"The two lost souls commemorated here? No, I never had the pleasure of meeting either of them."

"What's your name?"

"Hmmm…I go by Dagger." There was an air of menace in his voice.

"That's an interesting name. You already know who I am. This is Eiess."

"Schnee. Yes, I know who she is as well. Everyone knows the Schnees."

"I'm Prim. This is my twin brother Glade." Prim introduced.

"And this is our little brother Argent." Glade said. Argent did a short wave.

"So, why are you here?" Citrine asked.

"I'm here…to see. Long have the defenders of humanity suffered righteously. Those who know, know this very well. Summer Rose was an exemplary huntress in her day. As was her darling husband Taiyang Xiao Long. Now, the other two members of Team STRQ are the leaders of Beacon and Arbiter Academies."

"Do you know them?"

"I've had my encounters with the Branwens on enough occasions."

"I've never heard Qrow talk about you."

"We are not friends. You assume too much. You assume everything will stay peacefully." He gave a short laugh as he held his sword up. "But this is where we all end up. Just a marker on the ground with nothing but a legacy of those we left behind. It's ironic, there's an entire tomb dedicated to your people elsewhere on the island. Yet this simple little marker serves as a constant reminder for your mother of what she risks every time she leaves the island."

"My grandfather actually died here on the island." Citrine corrected. "During the siege of Vale over eighteen years ago."

"Indeed. Still, this is all that remains of your mother's parents."

"You mentioned a tomb." Citrine said. It bugged her that he knew about it. "And you said your people. What do you know of the Argentware?"

"Are you asking the what or the how? This ancient knowledge is not as much a secret to adults as it is children." Dagger insisted.

"Are you a huntsman?" Eiess asked.

"Well, by strictest definition no. But you can think of me like that. Regardless, this cliff, this monument. Summer Rose: Thus, Kindly I Scatter. Taiyang Xiao Long: Out of the Fire, We Rise Stronger. To the greatest of heroes this is her one reminder of her own mortality."

"Everyone dies." Citrine said. "But my grandparents died heroes. That's the difference."

"Indeed." He slowly pointed his sword at Citrine. Citrine twitched in anticipation. There was something about this guy that gave her the creeps.

"This sword of mine has a similar story to those passed down by your ancestors. In fact, it was forged by your ancestors."

"Where did you get it?" Citrine's eyes narrowed.

"I found it a long time ago, on the peak of Mountain Glenn. Several decades even before that, a silver-eyed warrior had sacrificed himself up there. When I heard of this I sought out his weapon. I figured it would wield a hefty price. But when I clutched it, I didn't have the heart to part with it. You've felt it too, haven't you? The call of a weapon."

"I can't say I have. I made my own weapon from my own heart and soul."

"You say that, but you don't mean literally."

"Well of course I don't mean literally."

"If you had…that would be a Very, interesting development." Dagger started walking off, moving past the group. "Days of heroes are coming to an end Citrine Rose. Will you stand your ground or adapt?"

"Who are you really." Citrine grabbed her weapon. She turned around but he was gone. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know." Prim said.

"That was weird." Glade said. Prim looked to the altars.

"What he said about a blade calling to me…I think I know what he was talking about."

"I think…I've felt it too." Argent said. "I mean, you heard it right?"

"Heard what?" Citrine asked.

"His…his sword…I thought it was my imagination but…I could have sworn I heard it whisper." Citrine's blood ran cold.

"It must have been your imagination." Prim said. But when I'm around Dad's sword, I can almost hear it humming, like a high-pitched instrument. He said it's because it's made out of special material and I just have very good ears."

"Yeah, that must be it." Citrine said. "And that guy's sword is made out of the same material. It was just your imagination." Citrine said to reassure herself more than him.

 **AN: That was an eerie end to the chapter. It makes sense if you've read, and remember, a lot of my other stories. Particularly RWBYond War. Next Chapter will be the conclusion of a subplot and then, things are going to get bad.**


	57. Birthday

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: Well, there's nothing really new going on with me so…check out my YouTube channel mediaocrity4, where I'll soon be starting a new series called MIS: Most Important Scene.**

Chapter 57: Birthday

Nephrite stood on her rooftop, waiting for the sun to rise. This was supposed to be a special day for her. But with it also came a longing. She had seen her friends grow and get stronger. She had witnessed a change in attitude with her teammates and closest friends. She had seen what it was like to grow up. But she had yet to feel it. She felt the same, the same piece of jade she had always been. She was officially an adult now. But maybe, she had always been an adult.

"Good day to watch the sunrise?" Her father said as he joined her.

"Yes. I couldn't sleep much." Nephrite admitted.

"Is something troubling you?"

"No, it's just…I'm eighteen now, and I don't feel any different." Nephrite crossed her arms as the feintest ray of light peaked over the horizon.

"Change doesn't happen overnight." Ren said as he weaved his fingers through her hair. "Even out of all your friends, you've had the most stable life. I'm proud of how mature you are, and have always been. I'm proud of myself for giving you the kind of stability I could have only dreamed of at your age."

"I guess you're right."

"Change will never happen by doing the same old thing. We change when we are faced with change. We change to adapt to our new circumstances. We change to survive. That's why we're able to stand here today."

"I know, I've grown up with the stories Mom tells me, about how things used to be."

"Your time will come. You won't be here in Vale forever. The whole world doesn't have to change for you to change. But when faced with change you have a choice, adapt or stand your ground."

"Thanks Dad." She gave him a hug. "I think I needed to hear that."

"Anything for you, my precious piece of jade." He held her close for a few more minutes until the sun shined onto Vale below.

Nephrite walked back inside. As the light of the day radiated through the windows, the rest of the Rens started their day with a hustle and bustle that Nephrite had come to expect. A lot of people wondered how she could stay so cool when her mother was…well…Nora. But if her dad could do it, so could she.

"It's morning. It's morning! It's Morning!" Nora ran into the room and grabbed Nephrite by the hands. "How's my birthday girl doing?" Nora started swinging Nephrite around at alarming speed.

"I'm doing fine Mom!" Nephrite cried out as the blood rushed to her feet. Nora set her down and swatted her on the back. The whole world seemed to be going loopy as Nephrite had to focus to regain composure.

"Lovely." Nora ran to the kitchen. "Ruby is bringing her kids over. Jaune won't be getting back until later tonight and he'll probably be too tired to have any fun. Then there's the rest of your team and friends. Luckily, I've already made all the preparations…had to ask for some friends to pitch in to make sure there was enough food and cake for everyone." Nora spoke a mile a minute.

"That's really fine but…I don't think I need such a big party."

"Nonsense. It's your eighteenth. We had just as big a bash for Citrine's."

"And your mother looks for any excuse to have this amount of food and people." Ren added.

"Guilty!"

The rest of the Rens woke in similar jubilee. Nephrite left to do her daily training routines with her father, leaving Nora and the rest of the sugar-brigade to set everything up and cook up a storm. They arrived at the waterfall deep in the Emerald Forest, Nephrite's favorite training spot.

They weren't alone however. Topaz was there, palming the waterfall. With each strike the water reversed, forming the shape of a horse-headed dragon. Then when it reached the top it would stop. Topaz looked exhausted from the display.

"Hey!" Topaz said as she noticed her company. "Happy birthday partner."

"Good day to you too." Nephrite gave an honoring bow.

"Doing some training?" Topaz asked.

"Just some daily stuff." Nephrite said. "My mom is getting everything ready for the party." Topaz plopped down on the rock at the bottom of the fall. "What was that construct?"

"Oh, it's the Hippocampi. Old family technique. I've been trying to nail it for the last few months but it's incredibly difficult."

"I've seen it done before." Ren said. "Your father is quite talented in using it."

"The Azul family is better together." Topaz stated. "Right now, my father and grandfather are the only people alive who can do the Poseidon construct. That construct serves as a hub for anyone with my family's power to link together. If one of them were here, I could link up and create a Hippocampi no problem."

"Just as the larger bodies of water are the strongest." Ren said. "I was always interested in the precise mechanics of the Poseidon construct."

"Well…I'm a long way away from pulling anything like that off. The Hippocampi is the second hardest construct to maintain. And it's the strongest in terms of raw power. When my grandfather does, the Poseidon construct he needs that oversized trident of his to be of any use."

"During the Liberation of Beacon, your grandfather used it to shield us while the rest of your family used Hippocampis to attack the enemy ships and titans." Ren recalled.

"Sounds about right." Topaz said. "Well, it was nice seeing the two of you. See you at the party."

"See you later." Nephrite said.

Hours later, Nephrite was done with training. It was late afternoon and she needed a shower. Her and her father returned home. The Rose-Arcs were there hanging out around the house. Topaz was there too, talking with the twins.

After the shower, Nephrite crashed into the most comfortable chair in the room. Rosaline quickly climbed up her leg and curled into a ball. The youngest of Rens sometimes acted more like a pet than a human. Nephrite wouldn't have her any other way. She held her kid sister close as she tuned out all the conversations going on around the house.

"Hey Neph." Glade said as he walked up to her. "Hey Rosaline." He rubbed the toddlers head. Rosaline reacted by biting his hand. Not maliciously mind you, she just loved biting things. "Ow, Rosa, please, let go." Glade stammered. He freed his hand from her mouth.

"What's up Glade." Nephrite gave a polite smile.

"I, um, uh…just wanted to say happy birthday." He said. His face went red.

"Thank you." Nephrite responded. Glade turned away and walked stiffly back to Prim, who was rolling her eyes.

Nephrite got plenty of birthday wishes after that. There were plenty of games and songs. They had a dancing game competition. Citrine, Prim, Ren and Johnny made it into the final round. Nephrite probably could have had she really cared about dancing. So, she just kept cheering, as much as she would cheer, for her father to win. But the winner ended up being Citrine.

Next was dinner. As was family tradition, they made all of Nephrite's favorite dishes, much to Prim and Lánméi's chagrin. Chénzi didn't much care for it either but it was food so he was fine. Sushi wasn't loved by everyone but they all tolerated it.

"So, Mom, what was that emergency about?" Citrine asked.

"It was kind of weird." Ruby said. "Grimm attacked Vytal."

"What kind of Grimm was it?" Lánméi asked.

"I hadn't seen anything like it." Ruby said. "The closest I can think is a nevermore. But it had multiple tails, the head was a little differently shaped, and it was twice the size of any nevermore I had seen."

"A new species?" Nora asked.

"Probably."

"I wonder if this is the Grimm relapse we were warned about." Ren said.

"I don't think so." Ruby said. "It was tough and fast for sure. But I know I could have killed quickly. When I got there, it ran. I had a choice, kill it or make sure I save everybody. It was an easy choice."

"So, this thing is still out there?" Eiess said.

"Somewhere." Ruby said. "But it's not the big return of the Grimm we've feared. There were plenty of other large Grimm but they might as well have been made from tissue paper."

"Still, new species is a precursor for the Grimm growing stronger." Ren added.

"I just hope that all this Grimm activity isn't from my mom studying the Black Gate." Eiess said.

"That would actually explain why they're so weak." Nora said. "I ran into a similar encounter with a massive lizard-like Grimm last time I was outside the city. It was definitely a new species. I dubbed it a helmasaur. The only bony appendage was its thick skull. But it too got away."

"I didn't get a good picture of it." Ruby said. "One of the local kids called it a helmaroc, because it looked like the character of the same name from her favorite book."

"Interesting." Citrine said. "So, this Grimm relapse…?"

"Every time the Hecatonchires dies, the Grimm become a rarity for some time." Ruby explained. "Then they eventually come back stronger than ever. It happened after the Great War. When they came back we lost Mountain Glenn and countless other villages. We've learned from that mistake. Since the Grimm War, we haven't slowed down our process of training warriors."

"That explains a lot." Nova said. "Not that I needed any more reason to keep training."

"It's not exactly a secret." Ruby said. "We just tend to wait until people are further into their training. But you're all tough kids. That's why we have no problem telling you this."

"Days of heroes are coming to an end." Citrine muttered.

"What?" Ruby said. "Where did you hear that?"

"Some weird guy we ran into while you were gone." Prim said.

"Does this weird guy have a name?" Nora asked.

"He said to call him Dagger." Argent said. Ruby's face went pale and she dropped her spoon.

"Where was he?" Ruby whispered.

"At the Cliffside Altar. Why? Do you know him?" Prim asked.

"Beware of Cloaks and Daggers." Ruby whispered. "That man is extremely dangerous. If you ever see him again, call me or your aunt Yang right way. Do you hear me?"

"Yeah. But why? Who is he?" Prim inquired.

"He works with Cloak, that impish little girl responsible for that Grimm attack last year." Ruby looked to Citrine. "The same one where you first tapped into your powers."

"I understand." Citrine said.

After the meal, it was time for cake and presents. They all sang happy birthday. Rosaline and Nora gave Nephrite big kisses on her cheeks at the end of the song. The Rose-Arcs got her a set of incense candles. Topaz gave her a bracelet. Her parents gave her a flask with the lotus symbol on it. There, she had her ceremonial first drink of sake. There was one more present, on from Glade specifically.

"I um…I wanted to get you something special." Glade said.

"You shouldn't have." Nephrite said as she started opening the box. Glade's eyes were closed shut. Nephrite opened the box to reveal a bouquet of red roses.

"Neph, I wanted to let you know that you are a most precious friend and I really, really like you and think you're an amazing person and I've been so scared to admit my feelings because you're just so cool and now that I said it there's no taking it back!" Glade ran at a mile a minute. Nephrite expected awes or cheers but instead there was silence from the onlookers.

"That explains a lot." Nephrite said.

"I know you're eighteen now and I don't turn sixteen for another month but…" Glade tried back peddling but Prim stood behind him. "I understand if you don't feel the same way about me, or anyone but I just had to let you know okay."

"I see." Nephrite was still trying to rationalize it.

"It was Prim's idea that I do it this way." Glade admitted.

"Shut, up." Prim growled.

"She said that this was the only way I would be able to, to man up and do it." Glade kept going.

"Stop." Nephrite cut him off. She held the roses up to her face. They were fresh. He must have just bought them that day. "Thank you for telling me this. It's sweet, it really is." She smelled the roses again. "And I do appreciate it. You and your whole family has been nothing but wonderful to me and mine. You, and your sisters are most precious friends. But I can't reciprocate it. I just, don't have those kinds of feeling for anyone."

"I…I understand." Glade's face went pale.

"No matter what happens I hope that we can still be friends. Whatever else happens I know we can at least still have that. Thanks for the gift and thanks for the admiration. But I'm…I'm sorry." Glade turned away and scattered off. Prim was right behind him, followed by Ruby.

"Thanks for at least letting him down gently." Ruby said.

"I didn't mean to either way. I meant every word of it." Nephrite said. "He's a great guy."

"Thank you." Ruby said as she walked off to catch the twins. Ren sat down across from her. Nora took the flowers and placed them in a vase.

"I respect your decision." Ren said. "It was from the heart. I don't think Glade would have appreciated it as much if you spared his feelings and gave him a chance when you weren't feeling it."

"Yeah, I can't judge." Citrine said as she grabbed Eiess' hand. "Took me a while to see if I was even willing to give Eiess a chance." Eiess nodded.

"But that might have been your opportunity to change." Ren said. "But take your time. Spend some time with him, not alone, but with friends. Only then will you know how you feel about him, and if he's worth the effort of building a relationship with."

"I'll think about it Dad." Nephrite said. "But I also don't want to lead him on."

"If he gets led on and it doesn't work out, there's still good that can come from it." Nora said. "It's all part of growing up."

 **AN: Dang, did not see this going as long as it did. Lots of stuff to unpack in this chapter. As I've said, Nephrite is getting a lot more focus this arc than she has in the past. Next time, I get to explain what the subheading of this arc means.**


	58. The Shattered Moon

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: This chapter has gone through so many changes. The biggest of which was to keep the focus on the current villains for a little longer. Things are going to start getting bad for our heroes at the end of this chapter.**

Chapter 58: The Shattered Moon

Levi had been trying to sleep. He took comfort next to Isabella, knowing that she would do anything for him. Levi was simply too anxious. He knew that whatever Avis was going to do, he was going to do it soon. The day of the Rose's reckoning was fast approaching. He needed to be ready.

"Levi." Isabella trailed off. Levi was already putting on his armored suit. He didn't care if it was the middle of the night. The suit was a part of him like anything else. "Come back to bed."

"I'm not tired." Levi growled.

"The day of your goal is coming." Isabella said. "Please, don't destroy yourself with some asinine training routine."

"I'm not. I'm merely seeing what the old bird is up to."

"Levi, I want you to know, that in the coming battle, I will heal you. No matter when or how bad, I will protect you. And maybe, when Ruby Rose is dead, things can go back to how they used to be…when we were young."

"We're not young, not anymore." Levi said as he walked out the door.

He walked through the dimly lit halls of their hideout. It was as lively as a graveyard at this time of night. He walked into Avis' study and to no surprise, the Bran was working away at a map. Cloak and Dagger both standing on opposite sides of the room. Dagger looked well reserved whereas Cloak was staring at her master with intrigue.

"Good evening Seerlivey." Avis said without taking his eyes off his work.

"So, what do you have so far?" Levi asked. "What of this little 'slice of heaven' plan?"

"Oh, I already know the what, just doing some calculations on the where." Avis said. He circled part of his map. "That should do it."

"If you have it figured out then let's go." Levi commanded.

"Oh, Seerlivey, so impatient."

"I've waited eighteen years for this day." Levi said. "The moment I have an opportunity to give the Rose despair I'm taking it."

"You could have, if you gave me orders to keep her kids alive." Dagger growled.

"Killing her kids is risky, given what Cloak and I have discovered." Levi countered. "Besides, I think it would be more insulting if say…one of them were to join us."

"Well so long as Ruby stands as a signal of virtue that won't happen." Cloak stated.

"That's just another reason to kill her quickly. Briggs is getting more information on the Eye of Truth and Flask. Merlot is standing by with an impressive array of automatons in his base. All we are waiting for is for Avis to do whatever it is he's doing."

"Hmmm…" Avis hummed then laughed. "Well, I feel the Seerlivey's anxiousness is contagious. Let's get this started." Avis said. He snapped his fingers and a strange suit appeared. Cloak and Dagger helped him into the silvery suit and put the airtight helmet on his face. It looked like a diving suit made of weaker material.

"Levi, put your helmet on." Cloak said.

"Where are we going?"

"Further than any living soul has gone before." Avis laughed. His voice echoed around his helmet. Levi extended his helmet and mask.

"Make sure it's air tight." Cloak grinned. Levi's curiosity was peaked.

Levi felt the familiar stretching feeling of Cloak's semblance. The world became warped and distorted. Everything went black. His feet felt much lighter. His suit's oxygen tank kicked in, as if he had been submerged. When he opened his eyes, he expected to be underwater. But he was quite the opposite.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Avis said. Levi looked all around. The ground beneath him was a luminescent white. There were massive rocks floating all around him. And in the sky, was Remnant. The planet itself. That means…

"We're on the moon?" Levi gasped.

"Don't act so surprised." Avis said. "Cloak and I have similar talents. Though, hers is much more versatile, and with better range, than mine. The tradeoff is, mine is faster and more potent."

"This is where we'll be?"

"Oh, good heavens no. Life here is completely unsustainable. Not to mention the effects low gravity would have on the physique. We're merely here to get our piece of heaven, so that we may plant it atop the deepest seas of Remnant."

"Explain." Levi commanded.

"Well…" Avis stared off to a massive chunk of the moon, larger than a city. "The moon was shattered during a battle between the first Wizard and the Hecatonchires. Ever since, no one has managed to make it up here. Dust is tied to the planet below."

"It looks above."

"There are no ups and downs in space." Avis corrected. "Even with the Black Gate, no one could cross the threshold. That leads me to theorize that dust, Redstone, Oblivion, the Black Gate, all of it, has a limited range. But the human soul does not. You can still feel your aura, correct?"

"Correct."

"I didn't really need to bring you hear, I just wanted an audience." He held his hand out to the moon-chunk. "Without a doubt, this move will completely drain me. Which is why Cloak is ready to pull us out as soon as it hits."

"Wait…" Levi thought for a moment, applying what he knew about physics. "Doing that would…" Levi started laughing. "With a snap of your fingers you're going to flood the whole damn planet."

"By my calculations, only coastal towns will be destroyed. The east end of Mistral, west end of Vacuo and Dragna, southern coast of Sanus, and the northern reaches of Solitas."

"And Vale?"

"Will have minor flooding." Avis said. "But with a joint attack by you, Cloak and Dagger, we can unleash Grimm into the city, ancient Grimm that have hid away in the deepest seas of Remnant for thousands of years."

'The huntsmen will be outmatched and overwhelmed."

"It'll be a relapse unlike anything the world hath ever seen." Avis snapped his fingers. The moon piece vanished. Levi could see it appear on the horizon of Remnant.

"That far out of the kingdoms' reach, they'll never make it." Levi said. Avis collapsed on his knee. Levi felt Cloak's semblance pull them back through.

"Success." Cloak said. Dagger helped Avis out of his suit and onto his bed.

"By morning, the tidal waves will crash into the coasts." Avis mused.

"Well then, let's get a move on." Cloak said. "Pretty soon this place will be at the bottom of the ocean."

"Vale is our primary target." Levi said. "We'll unleash the Grimm into that city the moment the flood waters hit."

"Then while you play patty cake with your hate-crush, Dagger and I will steal the Eye of Truth from Qrow Branwen." Cloak mused.

"Sadly, all I'm going to be able to do is watch." Avis said. "Moving something that large really took its toll on me."

"Leave the rest to us master." Cloak bowed.

"This is the day we've waited for." Dagger said. "The age of heroes is finished."

 **AN: And I cut it short. Honestly, I couldn't think of a good way to incorporate a certain 2v2 fight I've been planning. So, it probably won't end up being in this arc at all despite being in the teaser for this arc. Won't be the first time, I mean, my original teaser for this story had parts from the second arc and even a line from this arc.**


	59. Fight Back the Flood

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: Well, this story has some serious pacing issues born from a lack of ideas to fill in-between the more important moments. But I can honestly say, from here until the end of the arc, is going to be epic.**

Chapter 59: Fight Back the Flood

Topaz was working on an assignment when the sirens started. Citrine was the first to jump into action. Professor Qrow called over the intercom for everyone to remain calm. Then, he specifically called Topaz to come to his office. On her way, she saw all the professors going door to door, handing out assignments. The sight caused Topaz to move faster. When she reached the office, Qrow was pacing around his office.

"Professor, what's going on?" Topaz asked. Qrow took a long drink from his flask.

"There's a tidal wave coming in." He said as he wiped his mouth. "Something happened last night, something big." He flipped on the screen. Topaz recognized the city of Haven. A massive wave was rushing towards it. "This footage is from several hours ago, at the break od dawn, their time."

"No." Topaz cupped her hands over her mouth. "Dad, grandpa…please tell me they're alright."

"Ms. Azul, if not for your family thousands more people would have perished." On the screen the wave froze and condensed. "But not everyone made it." Large Grimm burst from the water into the streets below. "The flood waters brought ancient Grimm, Grimm that have lived in the deep oceans for thousands of years. Your cousins Opal and Vitreous didn't make it. And the fight is still going on."

"No." A tear fell from her eye. "How could this happen?"

"We don't know. Our best guess is that someone used the Black Gate to summon a meteor."

"Cipher? That Cloak woman brought Grimm into the city before…if she did the same with a meteor…"

"The how doesn't matter. My sister is looking into things. Right now, all of you students are working on getting people to safety. But your semblance is of great use to us. I need you to go to the docks."

"But I can't stop a wave that big."

"You won't have to. The tidal wave hitting us is child's play compared to the one that hit Mistral."

"So…" Topaz rationalized it. "Whatever caused this, hit the ocean between Mistral and Vacuo."

"Correct. Lucky for us, Haven is the only populated area that's getting the full brunt of this. Vale's east coast, Vacuo and Dragna's west coast, Mantle's north coast, Sanus' southern coast, all of them practically unpopulated." He massaged his temples. "I have faith in you. I need you to defend the docks. Fight back the flood."

"Yes sir." Topaz bowed. "What about my team."

"Grimm will be drawn to the city and we can't rule out any criminal organizations taking advantage of this. Nephrite and her father will be in a safehouse hiding whatever citizens can't make it here to Beacon on time. Citrine and Eiess will be escorting people to that safehouse."

"Understood."

"The airship is already waiting for you." Qrow said.

Topaz practically sprinted across the courtyard and into the airship. She didn't even wait for it to land. She jumped out into the dreary grey streets below. She used her container full of water to create a slide and land safely. As she touched down, she felt the slightest touch of rain. As if a potential flood wasn't bad enough. At least she could use the rain as another weapon.

A minute later, police started making a barricade. They used earth and ice dust to form walls. They linked their cars together to form a line in the sand. There were about a dozen of them. That's probably all they could afford to send.

"You're a little young to be a huntress." One of them said. Topaz didn't respond. "Well, we appreciate any help we can get." The rain started falling a little more quickly. Topaz could see the wave coming.

"Out of curiosity, do any of you know how this is affecting Patch?" Topaz asked.

"Far as I know, Ruby Rose put a wall around it with those powers of hers." The officer responded.

"If she even has powers." Another cop said. "Always thought all that talk about magic was foolery. Ain't nothing she does she couldn't do with dust."

"Enough." Topaz said. "Get ready." She drew her sword.

The wave hit the docks. Topaz extended her power to fight against it. She ground her teeth together and extended her arms. She felt the water rise under her feet. Then she saw them, the Grimm.

The police started firing their guns into the swarm. Topaz focused on pushing the water back. But it had nowhere to go. It had already rose above so many coast lines. It had already been pushed around so much. This was its last stop. Topaz kept pushing anyway. She squeezed her eyes shut to focus. She couldn't give in. She had to keep…

"Incoming!" Someone warned.

Topaz gasped as she opened her eyes. A leviathan was coming right for her with its gaping maw fully extended. Topaz braced herself. The water collapsed in on her. Then, it fired out. In her panic, she had done it. The Hippocampi wrapped around the giant sea-snake and snapped it in half. The flood waters rose just above her ankles. The entire city was covered in roughly six inches of water.

"Impressive!" A voice called out. Topaz looked to where the voice had come.

"You!" Topaz said. "You must be Cloak."

"And the insignia on your coat betrays your heritage. Well, and that technique."

"What do you want? What do you hope to accomplish?"

"I'm not accomplishing anything. Just making good on a promise." Cloak's cape extended and Grimm poured out of it. Topaz sliced through the first batch. Megapedes, hydras, basilisks, cancers, and arachne's lined up. Topaz used the rain to create needle-like projectiles.

A basilisk lunged at her. She dodged its bite, stabbed its hand, then used a stream of water to slice its head off. A cloyster opened its mouth and wrapped its tongue around Topaz's wrist. She sliced into the appendage and pulled the monster closer. Her sword bounced off its armored shell. She batted it into a hydra's head. Using another wave of water, she sliced through them.

She changed into her trident form and pierced the shell of a cancer. A megapede lunged at her but she swatted it away. She jumped onto the monster and stabbed it in the head. With a pulse of aura, the beast blew up.

"Is that all you got?" Topaz taunted.

"Worthy of your family's reputation, truly you are." Cloak said. "But I don't really have time to…" Topaz lunged at her. Cloak dodged and kicked her on the top of the head, sending her crashing into a warehouse. When Topaz got up, Cloak had vanished.

More Grimm started coming from the sea. Topaz twirled her trident around. She would not let these Grimm past the docks. Not until everyone was safely evacuated. She leaped down and cut the head off a basilisk. She slung a blade beam to slice through a group of creeps. A giant megapede crashed into her. She spun her body around to pin the creature to the ground. A kappa spat acid at her forcing her away from her weapon.

She skidded along the water and used it as a projectile to kill the kappa. A massive cancer burst from the water, grabbed a creep and hurled it at her. She took the water and cut the creep in half. The cancer pounced on her. She dove to the ground and propelled herself with the water. She spiked it up to impale a megapede. The Grimm she had pinned before had broken free and charged her. She grabbed her weapon and sliced through it. She stabbed at the giant cancer but her jabs bounced off its armor.

It used its claws to grab her weapon and wrestle her to the ground. A cloyster bashed into her. She rolled along the ground and launched herself up, just in time to dodge the bite of a hydra's head. She spiked the water up again to skewer the multi-headed Grimm. A carcharodon leaped from the water. She dodged it, causing it to flop to the ground, then cut it in half.

She used her heavy water construct to batter several smaller Grimm. A ryu rose from the sea with a screech. Topaz jumped onto the giant cancer and waited for the ryu to fire its lightning breath. When it did, she jumped into the air as all the Grimm around her fried. She changed her weapon back into sword mode and sliced through the Grimm's wing. Its tail whipped back and smacked her to the ground.

In her daze, she formed a shield of water around herself. She spun it like a vortex then fired it. The water sliced through numerous Grimm. The ryu slithered along the ground. Topaz used the water once again to launch herself away from the lightning blast. This time, she slashed at its head. The sword cut deep but not deep enough. Then, a rocket hit the Grimm, blowing its head off.

The police and a few other Beacon students were fighting too. From the vantage point, soaring through the skies, Topaz could see the scale of the fight. Her contribution had done little to stem the rising tide. She had held her line but so many other lines had been formed and failed all across the city.

Topaz squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn't ready for this. No one was. This was supposed to be the age of heroes. People like her parents, and her teammates' parents, were supposed to have stopped anything like this from happening.

In that moment, Topaz realized that she had never been forced to achieve on her own. Her greatest feats came with the aid of her team, or her parents. Even Team CTEN's fight with Mercury, had intervention from Citrine's aunt Yang.

"Damn it!" Topaz cursed as she unleashed her unbridled power. A Hippocampi formed and slithered its way through the Grimm horde. It smashed through every Grimm in its wake. Topaz controlled it with nothing but raw emotion and anger. Anger at her parents for not being here. Angry at Beacon for not being better prepared. Anger at herself for treating life so casually. People were dying and there was nothing she can do about it. All she could do was fight and keep holding this line.

"Help!" A voice called. Topaz broke from her thoughts. The Hippocampi dissipated. She leaped down to save the life of the cop who had pleaded for her help. She sliced clean through the cancers shell.

"If you can't fight anymore, leave." She hissed. The officer shook his head and ran.

"What is that thing?" A voice shouted. It was another cop, firing his rifle. Topaz spun around only to see his lifeless body fly past her own. A massive Grimm that towered over the police marched confidently through their barricade. It grabbed one of them and threw him at Topaz.

She caught the officer but was knocked down the street. The officer was knocked out but breathing. He looked to have a collection of shattered ribs. The Grimm responsible was massive and bipedal. It had the face and teeth of a shark with fins framing its white face. Bony armor covered most of its body with just a few streaks of black signifying the flexible parts.

A horde of Grimm followed it and rushed towards Topaz. She sliced through the first batch. She used her trident to stab through another megapede's head. The used her semblance to blast away the creeps and the kappas.

"Is that all you…" She was cut off. In an instant, the titanic Grimm had punched her in the gut. She spat up vomit and blood as her aura shattered. The blow launched her into the sky. She couldn't use her semblance. Her aura was gone. She was losing consciousness. She did her best. But this was it.

 **AN: So…Topaz might be dead. I will not confirm nor deny the possibility. You'll just have to keep reading to find out. Next chapter, shit will continue to go down with a surprise center of focus for this story.**


	60. Jailbreak

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: Let the carnage continue. This was the best kind of chapter, which is to say, ripped off from a show I like. I hope you're enjoying yourselves because the train has a way to keep rolling.**

Chapter 60: Jailbreak

Jet had been sitting in this prison for almost a year. It was so boring. What made matters worse is that his only means of escape was arrested just a few weeks after he was taken in. He couldn't even pull the minor card because he was nineteen. Now he was twenty.

When he found out his mom and dad had been caught, Jet elected to bide his time. He thought he could be patient. He made a name for himself on the prison yard. Caused some well-placed mischief. Even made friends with an ex-huntsman who became a councilman, only to be outed as one of Salem's co-conspirators and promptly arrested in the early days of the war.

But alas, fortune had smiled on him this way. So what if it came at the expense of the entire city getting screwed. The ryu crashed through the prison wrecking everything in sight. All the prisoners were faced with a massive hole in the shell that had restrained them. So, of course, riots ensued.

"We need to get out of here." Hazel said.

"Alright big guy." Jet smirked. "We'll go to one of my safehouses. We'll be able to get these infernal collars off there." Jet ran his fingers through his well-maintained hair. The aura suppression collars could only be removed with the warden's key. But with this riot, the Grimm would swarm the prison. They simply hadn't had time.

"Freedom!" Hazel cheered. The giant iron ball strapped to his foot hit the ground with a thud.

"Sure, you don't want to remove that at least?" Jet asked.

"It won't hinder me that much."

"That just means I can't rush to the safehouse." Jet said.

"You could run and get whatever key you have and come back."

"It's not so much a key as it is a big machine." Jet admitted. "Besides…" A kappa tried pouncing on them. Jet jumped into the air while Hazel crushed its skull. "I think we should stick together." Jet said as he landed.

"Sure, you're not using me for the muscle?"

"Well, that too." Jet smirked. "Damn huntsmen took my good legs and left me with these dime-store prosthetics. They kept walking down the street as the rain began to pour. The whole street was flooding. "Good thing I'm not wearing socks." Jet mused.

"It'll be great being in civilization again." Hazel said.

"Sometimes I forget you were in that hole longer than I've even been alive." Jet stretched his arms out.

"That is correct." Hazel said. They approached a police car.

"Freeze!" The officer said. Jet put his hands up.

"We don't want any problems officer." He said.

"I'm bringing the both of you in." He reached for his radio.

"Officer, looks to me like you have a lot bigger things to handle."

"You're both criminals." The officer said. "There's no way in…" Hazel cut him off by grabbing him and slamming him into his car. The cop's body lost consciousness on impact.

"Well that's one way to handle it." Jet mused.

"Don't let such a small obstacle get in your way." Hazel growled.

"Whatever." Jet put his hands behind his head as they kept walking. After a minute, they came across a large Grimm. It looked humanoid but with aquatic features. The thing was huge too. It had a man in his hand and was slamming him down. "What the hell is that?"

"I can't believe it." Hazel said.

"Believe what?"

"A proteus." Hazel stepped forward.

"Proteus?"

"I heard the stories, but in my time as a huntsman I never laid eyes on one." Hazel cracked his knuckles. "They're ancient Grimm that supposedly only live in the deepest seas of Remnant. Legend says they only come to the surface when someone angers the god of the sea."

"What do you think could have caused all this?" Jet focused his eyes on the monster.

"I don't know." Hazel said. The proteus took notice of them and hissed.

"Well then, looks like we're in for a fight." Jet got ready. This could be bad. With these collars on, it's unlikely they'd be able to take a hit from something that big. Hazel only came up to its chest when it stood straight.

Hazel looked intently on the monster as it walked over to them. Hazel unleashed a massive right hook to its jaw, causing it to stagger. The monster returned the favor. Hazel spat out a tooth but stood his ground. He grabbed the iron ball chained to his leg and used it as a weapon. He smashed it into the proteus, knocking it back. He unleashed a barrage of punches to its chest, head and stomach.

The proteus unleashed another cataclysmic blow to Hazel's chest. Hazel was knocked back. The proteus hit him in the head sending him flying high into a nearby building. He'd be lucky if he survived that blast without access to his aura. Jet just smirked. He was able to see this monster's speed. If this was the best it had, there was no way in hell it was even going to touch him.

"Alright you, ugly son of a bitch." Jet taunted. "Let's see how you handle me." The monster punched down at him. Jet easily dodged it. "Oh, have we started yet?" He dodged another punch and faked a yawn. "Didn't notice."

The beast screeched as it kept trying to punch him. Jet just kept moving side to side, avoiding all damage. Jet just started laughing at the monster's growing frustration. Jet sped things up and leaped into the air. He kicked off the monster's head while it was fully extended, sending its face into the ground.

"Are you even trying?" Jet laughed from his vantage point. The monster jumped up at him. Jet spun around. "Gunmetal kick." He kicked the monster across the face. He managed to avoid the attack, but his own did nothing. "Damn, cheap legs."

The monster towered over him as it slammed the ground. Jet back flipped to avoid it and landed on another rooftop. The monster pursued and tore through a water tower to chase him. Jet vaulted over any obstacles in his way. The proteus just tore through them.

"So, much for going as a team." Jet said as he thought about Hazel being left behind. The monster threw a pipe at him. He bent backwards to dodge it. He rolled out of the way of another ground-smashing punch. He elbowed the creature and punched its stomach. The creature staggered a bit but that was all.

Jet slid out of the way of a right hook. He flipped around to dodge more punches. The monster grabbed for him but he ran away. The monster screeched again as it chased after him. Jet dove between its legs as it slammed the rooftop. The roof began to collapse. Jet gave it a flying axe kick to knock it through the weak roof. He took this opportunity to make a run for it. As he landed, the proteus wrecked through a wall and back on to the streets.

"Stay right there you, ugly bastard." Jet pointed his finger. "I'm going to get my good legs. Then I'll be back to kill you." Jet started running off. The building shuttered around him. When he jumped off the roof, the proteus was waiting. It tried snatching him. Jet spun in the air, narrowly dodging it.

Jet hit the ground running. The monster kept chasing him. It grabbed a car and threw it at him. Jet jumped over the car before it slammed into his back. Nevermores circled around the rooftops, terrorizing the pockets of huntsmen still on the streets. Jet dropped down onto a car.

"What the…" The officer said.

"Excuse me, pardon me." Jet jumped out of the way as the proteus crushed the car under its feet. Jet grabbed one of their rifles and ejected its clip. He threw it at the beast's head then shot it, causing a blinding explosion.

Jet took that chance to get as far away from the scene as possible. After two minutes of non-stop running, he realized he had lost it. He sighed in relief and caught his breath. If he had his good legs, and didn't have that collar on, he could have stood a chance. But as is, he didn't know how much longer he could keep it up.

"I need to get to the safehouse." Jet said. He turned a few more corners until he made it. He activated the secret passage and slipped inside. To his surprise, he wasn't alone.

"Jet?" A familiar voice said. His mom wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"What, Mom?" Jet was surprised. "But I heard you were…" Jet stopped himself when he saw his father sitting at the machine that was removing his aura suppression collar.

"We were imprisoned elsewhere." Emerald said. "I guess you escaped in the confusion just like us." They weren't the only two. There was also a man wearing a denim vest and a cloth hat. He had tattoos all up and down his arms.

"Who might you be?" Jet asked.

"The name's Ash." He said.

"Jetstream Black." Jet introduced himself. "So, any ideas on what the hell is going on."

"I know it's Cipher." Ash said. "It has to be. They're the only ones kicking with enough fire power to pull a stunt like this."

"As terrible as this may be…" Emerald paced around. "This could be a golden opportunity."

"What do you mean?" Jet asked.

"There's something I've wanted to do for a while now. Now, Beacon is basically undefended. There's something there that I want. And I know Cipher will want it to."

"So, we're screwing them over again?" Jet smirked.

"Viciously." Emerald matched his smirk.

"But it's not why we want it." Mercury said as the collar popped off. "This item can very well get a certain someone out of retirement. When that happens, we'll be like one big happy family again." Mercury smirked.

"Well then, what is it we're stealing?" Jet's curiosity was peaked.

"The Eye of Truth, of course." Emerald said.

 **AN: Th Black family is back. The new Grimm has a name. Hazel has made his RWBYond debut. And I got to finally bring back Jetstream Black. Just, with all the stuff going down and the proteus still wrecking the city, don't expect this subplot to be picked up anytime soon.**


	61. Monfriedan

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: I'm writing this after another six straight hours of Breath of the Wild. Just, believe the hype. It is as good as everyone says it is. It is a masterpiece and one of the greatest games I've ever played. No that that's out of the way, here's a chapter involving Eiess.**

Chapter 61: Monfriedan

Eiess' heels sloshed in the water-logged streets. She used that to her advantage and created a sheet of ice to buy more time while civilians were loaded up into the transport. Beacon Academy, and the area of Vale closest to it, were the only safe places at the moment. Eiess was in the company of a few other students. Scott was one of them was listening intently to the radio on his scroll.

"We just lost the docks." Scott's jaw dropped. He looked at Eiess with a horrified face.

"No." Eiess gasped. Her hands went up to her mouth. Topaz was over that way. Eiess squeezed her eyes shut and gave a silent prayer that her teammate was alright. Citrine was on the other side of the city deterring any Grimm that try to invade from Forever Fall. Nephrite was with her father in the largest shelter in the city. The same shelter these civilians were heading towards.

"Everything's going to be fine." Scott muttered. He looked at his scroll again and his face lost what little color it had maintained.

"What is it?" Eiess hesitated to ask.

"A massive Grimm is attacking Patch." He held up the scroll. A massive water monster had risen from the sea. It was smashing the rock wall Ruby had made to protect the island from the tidal wave. "It's a scylla. No one has seen one since the Grimm War."

"There was one in Mistral as well." A student corrected.

"How could this happen?" Eiess sighed. She heard the wall of ice begin to give. She gave another silent prayer for the people of Patch. Citrine may be relatively safe but her family was still on the island.

The wall of ice broke apart. A kappa lobbed an acid ball from its mouth. Eiess blocked it with a glyph. She slid to the side and cut the creature's head off as it lunged for her. She flipped around to dodge a cancer. Scott unleashed fire on it with his weaponized chair. Eiess' sword bounced off the armor of a cancer. She backed away from its pincer. She then heard a familiar roar.

"Out of the water." Scott said. Eiess used her glyphs to launch into the air. The ryu flew overhead and blasted the street with lightning. The lightning did more damage to the Grimm than the humans. As if sensing this, the ryu landed on a nearby rooftop and roared down at the people. Scott blasted it with all his firepower. The beast tried escaping but was overwhelmed by the mortars and canons.

The ryu crashed into the street. Eiess dove on top of it and stabbed its throat with her sword. The dragon was ready to blast her with lightning but Scott blasted its head off. Eiess gave a thankful nod at him as he reloaded.

"Get that transport on the move." Eiess commanded.

"But we're still waiting on one more group." The pilot said. Nevermores screeched as they flew overhead.

"There isn't time!" Scott said. The nevermores all unleashed a volley of fatal feathers. Eiess made a large repulse glyph to cover the worst of it. But one managed to pierce the engine. "Damn!" Scott cursed.

"What are we going to do?" One woman panicked. A little kid started crying.

"I can fix this." Scott said. The other students formed a perimeter covering all the streets.

With a flick of her wrist and the glyphs etched into Monfriedan, she electrocuted a basilisk and a swarm of creeps. A nest of rapier wasps flew at her. With a powerful blade beam she cut through them. A nevermore dove at her. She flared her semblance to full power and summoned a griffon to intercept it. The griffon spirit tore the nevermore apart with a triumphant roar before disappearing.

Eiess stopped to catch her breath after the summon only to be knocked down by a cloyster. The instant it opened its mouth, Eiess stabbed its soft insides with her blade. Another nevermore crashed to the ground and broke through the street. Eiess and the bird tumbled into the cavern below. Eiess stabbed the beast with Monfriedan. When they hit the ground, the monster died and Eiess was flung away from her sword. Water from above poured on her head.

A king taijitu slithered in the tunnel and wrapped its body around her sword. Eiess grit her teeth. Her weapon was supposed to be a tool for any situation. She had never been in a situation like this without it. Without its glyphs helping her channel dust, she couldn't use any of her more advanced glyphs.

She stared the snake down, waiting for it to move. She grabbed a rock and threw it at the monster's head. As it hissed, she ran forward and hit its primary head with a repulse glyph. It slithered around and tried biting her. She propelled herself out of the way and grabbed her sword. She slashed the Grimm's face. It shook its head and hissed. She summoned another griffon that latched onto its head and eviscerated it.

Its white head emerged. She jumped in the air and hit the water with a lightning bolt, frying the Grimm. She then used platform glyphs to get back to the city above. When she did, she hacked her way through another line of creeps and kappas.

"You're alright!" Scott cheered.

"There's a few Grimm in the tunnels." Eiess said.

"The barriers must have been hit hard with all this chaos." Scott reasoned.

Another group of Grimm came running down the street. Eiess spun around, channeling more and more power into her weapon before unleashing a barrage of bolts to kill the group. A cancer scurried towards her. She backed away with a glyph and initiated time dilation. With the boost, she was able to see the then line of flesh where the shell pieces met. She swung quickly and precisely on that line, cutting the Grimm down. While the effects were still active, she moved through the swarm like a hurricane, sending their body parts flying.

More nevermores swooped down at her. She caught one in a sticky glyph. She rotated her hand to turn it into a blast glyph to destroy the monster. Fatal feathers flew at her. She caught them with gravity glyphs then spun them around and launched them back at the birds. The stunt nearly knocked the wind out of her. She fell to her knee in exhaustion. A kappa lobbed an acidic ball at her. She grunted in pain as she created an icy shell around herself.

It held long enough for her to catch her breath. She added fire to the mix, causing her shell to erupt like a bomb. The shrapnel tore through the Grimm all around her. She felt her stomach try to escape her body. She clutched her side in pain. She was running on E. She couldn't keep up all these moves forever. She needed a break.

"Almost there." Scott said with a focused gaze.

"Hurry." Eiess said weakly. Another ryu flew overhead.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Scott shouted.

Eiess launched herself with a glyph and sliced the dragon's wing. It tumbled onto a rooftop and into the line of sight of another student. Eiess took the chance to do an inventory check. She had gone through nearly half of her dust supplies. That was somewhat of a relief. As soon as this airship lifted off, they'd be able to retreat. She just had to hold on a little longer.

A beowolf ran down the streets below. Eiess flipped of the roof top and cut it in half with a blade beam. She then caught herself with a platform glyph and glided gently to the ground. She looked to Scott, who was working diligently at fixing the engine enough to fly. As he got closer to completion, the number of Grimm attacking decreased. Eiess was able to get that break her soul desperately needed. She smiled proudly at the work she was able to do. The fight had been hard, but they were well on their way to victory, without a single casualty to boost.

"You can do it Scott." Eiess smiled at the boy. Scott gave an assured nod. He wrapped two wires together and the engines sparked to life.

"Success!" He cheered. At that moment, something large crashed through the building. The Grimm was large, humanoid but with definite aquatic features. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Go! Go!"

The ship lifted off. The proteus screeched and ran forward. It was faster than Eiess could have guessed. It flanked her and knocked her into a building. The ship lifted off just before the creature grabbed it. Scott began pulling out his weapon only to be kicked to the curb. The monster grabbed another student and slammed him down. It began pursuing the escape vessel.

With all the strength and will she could muster, she caught the beast's foot in a sticky glyph. It broke out without missing a beat. It grabbed a piece of rubble and threw it at her. She tried to block it, but the impact still knocked her off her feet. The beast pounded the ground. The street split in two. The building collapsed on top of her. The only thing that kept her alive was the summoning she did subconsciously. It shielded her and saved her life. But she lost consciousness.

"Eiess!" A voice called in the darkness.

"Ci…trine…?" Eiess muttered in her dazed state.

"Thank God!" She felt the arms wrap around her.

"Citrine, that thing is heading for the shelter." Another voice said.

"You go on ahead." Citrine said. "Eiess, I swear on my life I will protect you until we're able to get out of here."

"I'll do my best to stop that thing." The same voice said.

"Good luck, Helios." Citrine said. Eiess heard the sound of a bike riding through the wet streets. "Alright Eiess…just you and me for now. You did good. I'm proud of you. I know your family is too. Mine's fine by the way." She kept having the one-sided conversation. "I'm so glad you're okay. I…I don't know what I would have done if I lost you. Because, I love you."

 **AN: And the proteus continues its rampage. This may be the most powerful non-sentient and non-apocalyptic Grimm I've ever made. It's getting more longevity than some of the Grimoire did in RWBYond Vale. Granted, it has yet to fight a full powered huntsman.**


	62. Hideaway

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: So many things I want to do but I don't have time. I still need to get through Samurai Jack before I watch the new stuff. I saw a review for Konosuba that really sold me on it. My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan and Boruto all have new stuff out with One Punch Man season 2 on its way. Speaking of which.**

Chapter 62: Hide Away

Nephrite walked up and down the lines of people crowded into the shelter. The massive dome was built after the Grimm War to give civilians a secure location within the city walls in case of a Grimm attack like the ones that preceded the war.

Nephrite had never been in here before. On normal occasions, it was also used as a concert hall. It had some other uses, anything to make it seem like less of a waste. But it was being used to its full extent now. The storm outside had picked up. On top of the tsunami, there was now a full-on lightning storm making Vale even more miserable. And it was Nephrite's duty to keep these people safe.

Her father walked around the crowd as well. Even though he wasn't a living legend like Ruby or Qrow, he was well known within Vale. His presence put a lot of people at ease. Nephrite could relate. She was usually a calm person, but as she looked wondered shipwrecked in the sea of faces she felt the full extent of her duty. If any Grimm pierce the shell, she was the only one who could put a field around the room to hide the people from the Grimm.

That was her semblance. Hiding herself and others from the Grimm, striking them without them even knowing what hit them. That was her talent. That's what made her special. She had often wondered what that said about herself. And it wasn't until this day began that she understood why.

"You can do it sissy." Rosaline of all people had told her. She could barely speak yet spoke with exactly the tone Nephrite needed to hear.

"You've always done it, whether you realize it or not." Her mother had responded. The voice echoed in Nephrite's head as her way of telling herself she could do this. "Hard to believe but when Chénzi was born, you wouldn't let him out of your sight. You always did your best to keep those you care about safe. That's why I know you'll be able to keep all these people safe."

Her mother had left for the frontlines after that. Chénzi, Lánméi, and Rosaline were safe at Beacon. Lánméi kept her updated via scroll. Nora checked in every few minutes to check on them as well. Nephrite guessed it was to keep them from worrying, and not the other way around.

The screaming of a child broke her concentration. Nephrite moved quickly to find the child. A little rabbit-Faunas holding a stuffed bunny doll was crying in fear. Her mother kept trying to calm her down. There were several other little rabbit-Faunas around. None of them looked above the age of twelve and there was ten of them.

"Lola, I need you to be brave for mommy." The mother pleaded.

"Excuse me." Nephrite said.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry." The mom said.

"If I may." Nephrite knelt to meet the little girl at eye level. "You're safe here, I promise." Nephrite smiled. She extended her semblance to the kid, just enough to alleviate any worry she may have had.

"Thank you." The mom said. "You're Ren's kid aren't you."

"You know my father?"

"We were classmates once upon a time. Pardon me, my name is Velvet."

"Oh yeah, you run that coffee shop near the center of town." Nephrite had seen it before but had never gone. She was more of a tea drinker anyway and didn't see much of the point in paying to drink somewhere when she was perfectly fine with cooking and making tea.

"Yes, I do." Velvet said.

"Mommy, I'm still scared."

"Would you like to be strong?" Nephrite asked. "Strong enough to be brave?"

"Uh-huh." Lola shook her head. Nephrite put a hand on her chest.

"Wait." She heard her father say.

"Hello Ren." Velvet said.

"Velvet."

"I was just going to unlock the little one's aura. See if that does any good." Nephrite reasoned.

"I know. But allow myself or Velvet to do it." Ren said. "You need to save all the strength you can for if something goes awry."

"Mommy, what's awwy." A boy mispronounced.

"It means bad." One of his sisters, one of the few teenagers in the herd, said.

"Things are going to get bad?" Lola's eyes started watering again.

"It's going to be alright." Nephrite assured. Ren put a hand on the girl's chest. A second later, a mocha-brown aura shimmered around the girl.

"Now you can be brave and strong." Ren said.

"Tell Ren thank you." Velvet said.

"Thank you."

"Me next." Another girl said.

"Caramel, you already have your aura unlocked." Velvet said.

"Oh." The girl pouted.

"I'm glad you're all safe." Ren said.

"Yeah, needed to get the little ones to safety." Velvet put her hands on two of her children's shoulders. "Things were going smoothly until that thing attacked."

"What was it?"

"Some kind of giant lizard Grimm. We were just about ready to go when it came out of nowhere. I threw everything I had at it." Velvet tapped her box. "But nothing I did cracked that armored skull. Fox and Peter are still out there. Peter told me that after we left it started lounging around the CFVY Shop. He's been keeping an eye on it."

"Daddy's watching the Helmasaur?" Lola said.

"That's right." Velvet said. "That's what the people have started calling it." She explained.

"Well, stay safe." Ren said. The sound of a ship docking echoed through the dome. "More have arrived.

"More?" Nephrite's brows furrowed. The people came running in with panicked expressions on their faces. Ren ran to meet them.

"It's coming." One of the civilians said.

"I couldn't lose it." The pilot said. "And the skies were too dangerous. I'm so sorry."

"No need." Ren calmed them down. "Even if it followed you there's no way a Grimm could…"

The frightening sound of metal tearing echoed through the room. Everyone went dead silent. A hole was ripped open. As soon as the metal barrier was torn, Nephrite ignited her semblance and stretched it out to encompass the entire room.

"What were you saying?" The pilot said.

"I'll handle this." Ren said. Nephrite's eyes were squeezed shut and her fists were clenched. She felt Ren's hand on her shoulder. "If we're lucky, it'll go away."

Nephrite could feel all the people around her. The people whose lives depended on her semblance. She could feel Velvet's hand cup her youngest daughter's mouth. She could feel everyone backing away, making everyone even more cramped. She could feel the officers steadily aiming their guns. She could feel her father standing front and center, ready to strike the beast.

But she couldn't feel the beast. There was a large void in her vision. A hole from which no light came. She could feel it piercing everyone in the room, desperate to latch onto something. The Grimm was unlike anything she had seen before. It was large, powerful, ancient, intelligent, everything that made the ancient Grimm of the sea such deadly creatures.

Nephrite felt a water droplet on her head. She desperately tried to keep her power from fading. Tears breached her eyes and slithered down her cheeks. She felt a trail of warm blood run down her nose. After a whole minute of this stalemate, her lungs got caught in her throat. She couldn't breathe anymore. She collapsed onto the floor, exhausted. The beast screeched. The people screamed in fear. And Ren, launched his attack.

"I'm sorry." Nephrite whispered.

Before her body hit the ground, Ren's first strike hit in the dead center of the monster's abdomen. Lotus Palm was Ren's strongest technique. Pure, concentrated, aura gathered in the palm of his hand and unleashed on impact. The blow caused the monster to howl and bend over.

The monster wasn't done though, far from it. It slammed its fist into the ground. Ren moved out of the way and began firing. The crowd backed away as much as they could. Ren dodged several punches and slashed with the blades on his guns. The blades grinded against its thick armor. The creature reached out to snatch him but her jumped out of the way and kicked it in its head.

The monster tumbled to the ground. Ren dove down with a hail of bullets. He landed on the monster and kept firing. The beast spun onto its stomach, knocking Ren off balance. He stuck the landing and hit the Grimm with an elbow. He unleashed a flurry of palm strikes to the proteus' abdomen.

It grabbed his hand after the third his and twisted his arm back. Ren tried sweeping the monster's feet but it didn't work. The proteus slammed him down to the ground and stomped on his chest. Ren stabbed its webbed foot and started firing. The bullets were ineffective. The monster grabbed his head and started squeezing.

Ren started grunting in pain. Nephrite could feel his aura waning. She picked herself up and rushed in. She stabbed the monster's hand with her katars and started firing. The bullets bounced off its thick hide. The monster tried back-handing her. She leaned back out of the way. The monster lifted its foot up. Ren rolled out from under it. Its foot tapped Nephrite on the back of the head, forcing her back up straight. It then slammed its conjoined hands into her body.

Her aura shattered on impact. It had already been fading from overuse of her semblance. Ren kneed it in the face. Its head expanded and it lopped a ball of acid at her. Nephrite rolled out of the way. The monster rushed her, moving way faster than Nephrite had predicted. Ren pushed her out of the way and was knocked all the way across the room, his aura shattering from the blow.

The monster towered over her. It's breathing heavy. She could see the cracks in the armor from its fights. Nephrite cursed herself. If only she were stronger they wouldn't be in this situation. If she had been just a bit more help, and less of a hindrance, her father could have finished this thing off. But now, she was the last line of defense against this thing and she had no aura left.

As it took a step, someone started firing bullets into its back. The beast ignored them as it took another step. But something had caught its foot. It fell face first. It tossed around on the ground to grab the offending object but it had already been retracted. Standing in the hole the proteus had made, was Nova.

"Now that I've got your attention you ugly kuso yaro." Nova said. "My name is Nova Wukong." She said triumphantly. "Sorry I'm late, but the hero always arrives at the critical moment. And I am the hero of this story." She pointed her sword at the Grimm. "Now, en garde, gesu yaro."

 **AN: A new challenger approaches. This chapter was a lot of fun. It is canon for RWBYond that Velvet has ten kids because…you know…rabbits. Anyway, this fight isn't over yet. Will Nova be able to finish the proteus? Find out next time.**


	63. Proteus

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: Come one come all to the fight of the century. In this corner, the ancient Grimm proteus, the unstoppable monster that has torn Vale asunder. In the opposite corner, Nova Wukong, the skilled yet temperamental Vacuo-born Beacon student. Who will win?**

Chapter 63: Proteus

Nova grinned as she looked at her prey. The proteus looked at her with a confused look on its ugly fish-face. She kept her feet in the doorway with her gun ready. She'd keep as much of the fight away from the people as she could.

"Nova, stay back!" Ren said.

"Like hell I will." Nova pointed her left-hand sword at the monster. "There's no way I'm stepping back when there's something I can do." She fired a bullet into its head. The monster grunted in annoyance and charged her.

Nova used a clone to take the hit. She dove between its leg and slashed its ankles. She jumped up and kicked it in the back of the head. The proteus moved faster than she anticipated. It spun around to back hand her. She narrowly dodged it and used a clone to strike its fist. She shot around, striking any joint she could reach. She flipped out of the way of its punch and emptied her clip into its face. It spat a ball of acid at her but she rolled out of the way.

She slid between its legs again, this time using her grappling hook to tie its legs up. She pulled on it but the monster didn't budge. She threw her other sword at its face, stunning it. She jumped up and caught it before stabbing its head. The blade bounced off its armored skull but knocked it off balance. She planted a dust bomb on its face. She flipped around to slash at it some more. She kicked it in the face sending it tumbling out side. The bomb went off, engulfing it in a ball of electricity.

"Wow!" Some of the people cheered.

"That's right." Nova smirked. "You fish-faced freaks hate electricity don't you." She turned to face the crowd. That was a mistake.

"Look out!" Nephrite screamed.

The proteus' fist was bigger than Nova's head. It was still flinching from the electricity. The arcs of lightning still sputtered off its body, giving the blow a shocking effect. The single punch sent her all the way to the other end of the dome.

Thinking fast, she fired her grappling hook and swung around. She spun with both swords but the proteus blocked it with its massive arms and flung her to the ceiling. Nova hit the roof so hard she bent an iron girder.

Nova kicked off the ceiling and dove for the beast. It clapped its hands to catch her but she used a clone to escape. She sliced along its back, causing it to screech again. She grabbed a knife with her tail and hit it with a three-pronged barrage. The monster flailed around trying to get ahold of her.

Nova felt like she was making progress. Like all that weight training was paying off. She felt she was hitting faster and harder than she ever had before. She felt like she could finally win and be the hero she always dreamed of being. She could feel a light burning inside her, a radiant violet flame reminiscent of her name sake.

"Ahhh!" A little girl screamed. The monster had lobbed a ball of acid at the little girl. Nova saw the cracks in the monster's armor. One more precise hit and it could be done. But the girl needed her.

"KUSO!" Nova relinquished her attack and dove into the acid's path. It latched onto her clothes and burned her skin. She tore her vest off quickly before it could burn though her aura. Then, the monster grabbed her by the head and threw her into the wall. In a flash, it punched her in the stomach. Nova's aura shattered. She felt her ribs snapping one by one. The acid that had splashed on her arms, burned away at her skin. The metal wall tore apart and she landed hit a thud into the drenched street outside.

"Get up!" Someone cried. Nova struggled against her own weight. The felt the thunderous steps of the Grimm heading towards her.

"Kuso." She whispered. Despite her training, she wasn't strong enough. "Kuso." Now she was going to die. "Kuso." Now she would never become a hero. "Kuso!" Now all these people were going to die because she wasn't strong enough." "KUSO!"

"Crash." A voice roared. There was an explosion. Nova's head jerked up. The monster was turning away from her. There was a man in armored pads a helmet, and goggles staring down the beast. "I've finally caught up to you." He huffed.

Nova recognized him. His name was Helios if Nova remembered correctly. As far as Nova knew, he was a low-tier huntsman from Mantle. He was also friends with the Rose-Arcs. According to Citrine, Ruby had rescued him during the Siege of Vale.

"Who's this?" Nova heard some of the people muttering.

The beast charged Helios. He put his fist down, surrounding himself in a bubble shield. It deflected the first blow. As soon as it dropped, the proteus hit him with a powerful uppercut. It grabbed his leg and slammed him down. It started walking away but then Helios fired energy from his gauntlet. The blasts bounced off the Grimm's armor but got his attention.

In an instant, the Grimm darted behind him and punched him in the back of the head. Helios went face first across the street. He rolled onto his feet and fired another blast. The beast grabbed his weapon arm, and bent it backwards. It then punched him on the top of the head. The monster then looked to the crowd that had gathered around the whole.

"I'm not done with you yet." Helios struggled to get up. He gave a fruitless tackle to the monster's backside. His body sparked with electricity, causing the monster to shriek in pain.

"Kuso." Nova tried getting up again but flopped uselessly to the ground.

Helios squared up and flexed in front of the terrifying beast. The proteus struck an imposing figure against the smaller, lither huntsman. It looked at him curiously. If Nova didn't know any better, she'd believe it was actually thinking.

"I am Helios Snappes." He grunted. "And I will not let you hurt any of these civilians." The monster stood there in utter silence.

"You can do it!" A little girl cried out.

"Finish that monster off." A man cheered.

"We believe in you!" A woman cheered.

"Come on!" Another kid shouted.

"Helios!" The crowd was chanting. He gave a triumphant scream as he punched the proteus. The impact of the punch bent the beast over. The shockwave shook the ground. In that moment, Nova thought it was over, that they had won. She heard everyone cheering for him. But in the next moment they were silent. The proteus was not finished. It grabbed his arm and snapped it before it blasted him into the sky, and watched him fall limply to the ground. The monster gave a triumphant roar before turning towards the now frightened people.

"Damn it!" Helios cried as he struggled up to his feet. He fell back down to his knees. "I don't care how many times you put me down." He wiped blood from his mouth while his other arm dangled uselessly at his side. "So, long as I draw breath, I will not let you touch these people. Because that's what being a huntsman means to me!"

"Just give it up." Nova muttered hopelessly to herself. The proteus rushed Helios again. There was a thunderous boom. In the blink of an eye, there were orange rose petals in the air.

"That's what it means to me too." Citrine said as she set Helios down. "Nova!" She said. Nova averted her gaze. She felt so useless. "Nephrite. Professor Ren." Citrine looked around. "And you're the one who hurt Eiess too." She focused on the beast. "The one who came from the docks. The proteus, did you hurt Topaz too?"

"What?" Nova blinked. This thing had been rampaging for that long.

"How many have you killed?" Citrine screamed. The monster dashed behind her. She raised her shield and blocked the blow that was aimed for the back of her head. A light shot from her eyes as she spun around to face the proteus. The monster was mid-swing on another punch but when it saw her eyes it stopped. It jumped back and roared.

"Unbelievable." Nova whispered.

"That's what I thought." Was this even Citrine? The monster looked every bit as frightened as it had imposing just a moment earlier. "Your kind fears mine. You, Grimm who has lived for untold centuries, resting in the deepest seas believing yourself to be the top of the food chain." As she spoke, Clockwork Rose unfurled into its scythe form. "But the one at top of the food chain…" She swung the blade behind her body. "Is me."

Her body burst into a cloud of orange petals. An instant later, her scythe blade was wrapped around the beast's neck and her feet were planted on its shoulders. She dropped down, bringing the beast to its knees.

She twirled her scythe around like a blender. The monster blocked a heavy attack but lost its arm. The white light in Citrine's eyes burned even brighter as her scythe extended into a spear and she stabbed the beast in the chest. The blade went all the way through before locking back into its scythe form. Then, like a meat hook through a pig, she filleted the proteus.

It flopped to the ground, writhing in pain. Citrine raised her hands above her head and with a primal scream, drove her scythe into its neck. She dragged the weapon across its throat brutally removing its head.

"Kuso." Nova smiled. There were a few moments of silence as the crowd processed what had happened.

"Amazing!" A man said.

"I saw her in the Huntsmen Games." Someone gloated. Nova took offense to that. Did he not remember her?

"That's the daughter of Ruby Rose." A woman explained.

"Really?" Another said. "Amazing. I'll rest easy knowing that her family is still watching our backs."

"A student taking down a monster that two pro huntsmen couldn't." Someone else said. "It must not have been that tough."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Someone agreed.

"What gives? Have the pros really gotten that weak?"

"Must be they were waiting for the legends of yesteryear to have kids." Someone laughed.

"Shut up!" Citrine snapped. She dragged Helios over to Nova. "I was only able to beat it because of the damage the others had done to it."

"I don't think that's true." Nova muttered. "I was so close to killing it. But I got careless."

"Are you okay? Citrine asked.

"Just…lamenting my own shattered pride." Nova scowled.

"You did well." Ren said. "I think I've nearly recovered. And I've called for someone who can repair the dome."

"Thank you." Citrine said.

"Nova!" A voice called. Nova knew who it was, Johnny and Ariadne had caught up to her. "What happened?"

"I…fell down some stairs." She kept scowling.

"You missed it." Citrine said. "It took all of us to take it down." Ariadne knelt over Nova and grabbed her arm.

"I'll be fine." Nova said.

"Quit being so stubborn and let us help." Ariadne said. She took a pill out. "Take this. You too Professor." Ariadne passed out medicine balls. "Sadly we only brought three of them."

"We ran into Scott and Eiess on the way here." Johnny said. "He'll head on over as soon as the last transport leaves."

"I guess Eiess will join him." Citrine said. Nova, Nephrite and Ren took the soldier pills.

"It won't do anything for the burn marks." Ariadne said. "But it should heal you."

"Thanks." Nova snipped. The rain began letting up. The skies were clear of Grimm. But then, the sounds of horse hooves slowly got louder and louder.

"What is that?" Ariadne said.

"No." Ren's face sunk. A horse Grimm with a strange growth dangling from it turned the corner into the road ahead. "No." Ren dropped to his knees. The growth twitched and reared up. It was humanoid with massive horns sticking out of its head. The nuckelavee flailed around with a deafening screech.

 **AN: If it's not one thing it's another. This chapter was jam packed. On the plus side, the proteus is dead.**


	64. Nuckelavee

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: I've been waiting for this moment ever since Volume 4 ended. In my not-so-humble opinion, the nuckelavee was a damn good fight and a worthy challenge to the team. The only problem with it is the same problem I have with all the fights in RWBY, which was a lack of purpose. But on that front, it does better than most.**

Chapter 64: Nuckelavee

Citrine planted her scythe to the ground. Johnny stood by her side. Prof Nora had told them about this Grimm. It was a rarity. Supposedly it only emerged on the hottest days in Mistral. That wasn't entirely accurate, just part of the folklore surrounding this rare Grimm type. But more importantly, it had been a nuckelavee that destroyed Ren's home and killed his parents.

"Citrine, Johnny…" Ren moved in front of them. "The two of you help me. Ariadne, get Nova and Helios to safety. Nephrite, protect the people. I don't want you getting involved in this."

"I can still fight!" Nova pouted.

"Then help Nephrite protect the civilians."

"But…"

"That's an order." Ren snapped. "The only reason I'm letting you two help me is because of your fortitude." He revealed. "I can't fight this thing by myself, especially in my condition. But between the power of the Argentware, and your gift for foresight Mr. Clay, I know we can beat this thing."

"Understood." Johnny nodded.

"Professor Ren…about this thing…"

"I know it's not the same one that killed my family." Ren said. "That one died many, many years ago." He pulled out his guns. "I was denied the satisfaction but…maybe if I pretend this is the same one…that satisfaction will be met."

"Keep circling around." Johnny said flatly. He dodged the beast's extending arm and jumped onto a rooftop. Ren circled around on the other side, spraying the monster with gun fire. Citrine charged ahead, scattering around its spinning arms. Citrine played a good distraction, allowing Johnny to get a clean shot at its body. Ren came in and sliced into it with his knives.

Ren hit its leg with a palm strike but was then kicked by its hoof. The monster twitched around and screeched. Its humanoid body spun around like a blender, slamming Ren into a wall and knocking Citrine across the street. Johnny managed to avoid the radial attack and blasted it again.

The nuckelavee gave a massive, eerie yell. Its call was answered in kind as griffons and nevermores swooped around. A pack of beowolves rushed from down the street. Johnny dropped down and blasted the pack.

"Keep moving." Ren ordered as he dodged another string of elastic attacks.

"Citrine, we could really use that glowy eye thing you do!" Johnny called as he moved closer to the nuckelavee.

"I can't just…" Citrine spun around to bisect a griffon. "Turn it on…" She fired her guns to bounce around and clip the wings off a nevermore. "Whenever I want."

The nuckelavee screamed and extended its arms towards the crowd. Ren and Nova caught the arms and struggled against them. Ariadne dropped between the arms and battered them with her flute. The beast jumped backwards, pulling Ren and Nova off the ground, and slung them around.

Both Ren and Nova recovered gracefully when they were slung into adjacent buildings. Citrine found herself surrounded by griffons on the roof. The nuckelavee flung an arm up at her. She dodged it, but while in the air she was caught in the talons of a nevermore and slammed to the ground.

Nova cut off the head of the monster. She and Citrine split just in time to dodge the nuckelavee's rubbery grasp. It let out another horrific shriek as it spun around again. It charged heads first towards the girls. Citrine scattered to the skies. Nova subbed in a clone. As she flipped around a beowolf hit her in the back. Nova stumbled towards the large Grimm and was kicked by its hoof. She fell into the arms of Johnny as he blasted the beowolf with his flashlight.

"Let go of me!" Nova pushed him away.

"You're welcome." Johnny groaned.

Citrine bolted around the roofs trying to get a clean opening on the nuckelavee. Every time she got close there would be a Grimm in her way. Every time this thing shrieked more Grimm would come out of nowhere to defend it. It's horse body bucked around, creating seismic waves that kept them from getting close. And its arms were whipping around randomly, smashing everything it touched. Even Ren was having a hard time getting close.

"Nova, you wouldn't happen to have any explosives?" Citrine asked.

"Used the rest of them on the last guy." Nova said.

"We need a way to subdue the arms and the body in one swoop." Johnny said.

"No kidding." Ariadne grunted as she jammed her weapon into an ursa's head.

The nuckelavee reared up with another shriek. Its arms whipped up and down smashing through the walls of buildings. Citrine and the others did their best to dodge. But Nova's body hitched and she was grabbed. She was slammed into the nearest wall by a single hand.

"Nova!" Ren yelled. He gritted his teeth and ran towards her. Citrine ran towards her as well. The beast flung its other arm at Nova. Nova sliced into the hand that had her pinned to the wall. Then, just as Citrine was about to intercept the other arm, she heard a snap. Her vision went wonky. She was on the far rooftop. She looked down and saw Ren dive in the way of the arm. He was grabbed and slammed into the wall with a force that cracked the concrete. The nuckelavee raised them both into the sky, ready to slam them both down. Then, Nephrite swooped in and cut through one of its arms, freeing Nova.

The beast slammed Ren down. The impact shattered his aura. Citrine dove back down to help him. Then, two people appeared. Ren staggered onto his feet as a shadowy figure appeared behind him and Citrine was intercepted by a shadowy sphere.

"Look out!" Citrine cried. She felt a hand around her throat. Ren spun around, his knives clanged against the assailant's blade. Citrine was slammed into a wall. The one whose hand was around her throat, was the same mysterious cloaked girl who had unleashed Grimm into the city before.

"Well, well, well, looks like I caught a little Argentware." Cloak giggled.

"Let me go." Citrine choked out. Cloak extended the fingers of her free hand and surrounded Citrine's eye.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to kill you." Cloak's cruel smile shined out of the dark hood, even though the rest of her features were covered in shadow. "We merely wish for your mother to leave Patch and come out here to play."

Ren was tossed around the street by the same man who had been at Cliffside altar. Ren hit him with a palm strike and slashed at his torso. Dagger's sword bent around like a snake and stabbed through Ren's side.

"I still think we're wasting time." Dagger said as he slashed Ren across the chest. "Every second out here is another second that Qrow could use to toss the Eye of Truth." Ren staggered back. Johnny, Nephrite and Nova rushed the assailant.

"Dagger, out of all the supposedly secure places on Remnant, Vale is still the safest." Cloak laughed. Citrine struggled and kicked against her, but it was no use. It was as if nothing outside of Cloak's arms and face even existed. "Either way, you're the one who keeps going on about death to heroes."

"True." Dagger rolled around, deflecting all his opponents' attacks. The small spikes on his outfit extended to form a spiky ball that hit them all at once. He raised his sword to strike the stunned Nephrite. Then, Ren pushed her out of the way. Dagger's blade sliced through his torso.

"NO!" Nephrite screamed. But it was Nova who gave a primal shout. Energy coursed around her body as she slammed her swords into Dagger blasting him into a building.

"Well then." Cloak said. "This is an interesting development." In an instant, Nova had darted behind Cloak and slashed at her hood. Cloak let Citrine go. Her hood fell off. Citrine finally had a look at her face. Her hair was brown but her eyes were closed. Something about the way she smiled triggered something in Citrine. Her eyes were once again engulfed in the white light of the Argentware.

When the light faded all the smaller Grimm were gone. The nuckelavee was down the street freaking out, standing against a wall. Cloak and Dagger were gone as well. Nova was on her hands and knees gasping for air. Johnny was looking at the pair inquisitively. And Nephrite was knelt over the barely breathing body of her father.

 **AN: I had so many writer's block moments doing this chapter. Didn't help that my computer crashed half way through making me lose all my progress. So, Cloak and Dagger were used here instead of saving that bit for later. It's the nuckelavee's fault. I couldn't think of a way to make it challenging for all the heroes that were present.**


	65. Tears of Jade

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: Wow, halfway through this story. It, doesn't really feel that way. There's still so much more in this story and the second half will be more action packed than the first. So, strap in.**

Chapter 65: Tears of Jade

"No." Nephrite's heart was pounding. Her father laid his head on her lap. The only Grimm in sight was the shivering nuckelavee. Her father's eyes were glazed over and his hair was matted from the rain. He was heavily wounded with sword wounds across his chest.

"Don't…cry over me." He coughed some blood out.

"Daddy I'm so sorry." Nephrite squeezed her eyes shut.

"Why?" He whispered.

"None of this would have happened if I were stronger." Nephrite pleaded. Images of the proteus watching the crowd earlier flashed in her mind.

"Don't sit there and cry." Ren said. "You have…grown up so much. I am so proud of you." He grabbed her hand. "Now…take…action." He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Dad?" Nephrite reached out with her semblance but the light inside her father was gone.

"Neph, I'm so sorry." Citrine said.

"We're all equally to blame." Johnny said. "But the ones responsible for this are still out there."

"Did you see where they went?" Nova asked, her voice laced with venom.

"They teleported." Johnny said. "To where, I do not know."

For a fleeting moment, Nephrite could see the souls of her friends. Citrine's was burning orange and laced with silver. Nova's was a radiant violet and sparkling like a clear night sky. Johnny's was a white light but there was something strange about it. Though, Nova had become accustomed to the odd duplicity Johnny's soul always looked when she was sensing for aura.

It wasn't until she saw him that she realized that she had kicked her abilities into high gear. Yet, she couldn't see her father's soul. He had stopped breathing. Citrine was trying to say something but all Nephrite could hear was the thundering of her own heart-beat.

Something in her snapped. She couldn't think straight. She couldn't rationalize what had happened. It had happened so fast. Those two…Nephrite couldn't even begin to process how it had come to this. Everything was hell. The streets were teaming with Grimm. Topaz was missing. So many were either dead or injured. And all their fighting all their training amounted to nothing but a distraction.

Tears fell down Nephrite's cheeks as she stood up. She looked to the massive petrified cloud of evil. The one who had summoned so many Grimm into the area. The one that had been so affective of a distraction as to shatter Nephrite's idealistic world.

She wanted to scream but her voice failed her. Instead she just ran half blind to the world around her. The deafened cries of her teammates called her name. The nuckelavee awoke and swung at her. Nephrite made no attempt to move from its path. Citrine moved and intercepted the arm. She pinned it to the street. Nova and Johnny flanked it. Johnny blasted the horse head while Nova cut at its hind legs. Then, Nephrite jumped up, and with a massive palm strike, flattened its skull against the building.

It hissed as it turned into a massive plume of smoke. Nephrite could feel other Grimm around her. Johnny and Nova went left. Nephrite went right. The Grimm surrounded her but in her blind rage she ripped them apart. Citrine darted around like a blender covering her. Once again Nephrite could hear that Citrine was saying something but she couldn't make it out.

She emptied a clip from her guns into a kappa. She kicked a creep in the head, killing it in one blow. Everywhere she sensed darkness, she would swing her palms and feet wildly. She kneed a beowolf in the face and sat on top of it. She stabbed it with her katars over and over again until it had completely disappeared.

She felt the clink of her katar hitting the stone pavement. She then felt the paw of an ursa strike her face. Citrine dashed in front of her and cut the monster in half. She turned to face Nephrite and grabbed her by the collar and smacked her.

"Snap out of it!" She cried. Tears were running down her cheeks. Another monster lunged at them but Citrine jumped into the air, still holding Nephrite and landed on the roof. "I know…" Citrine squeezed her eyes shut. "That you're hurting. But if you lose con…if you lose control…what hope do we have?"

"Don't lecture me about how I should feel." Nephrite pushed her away. "Unless you have some way to end this and make things the way they were before, stay out of my way." Nephrite started walking away. Citrine grabbed her arm.

"There is no going back."

"Let me go."

"Neph, as your friend and team leader." She tightened her grip. "I'm sorry." Citrine's fist crashed into Nephrite's solar plexus. Nephrite doubled over. The world faded to black. "I won't let you throw your life away. Not like this. Not after we've lost so much."

Nephrite awoke sometime later. The storms were raging more than ever. The people, who had been in the shelter, were being loaded onto airships. Some of them were marked with the insignia of Mantle, others were marked with the insignia of Vacuo. One airship dropped down and a few people got off.

As Nephrite sat up the memories came rushing back. She clutched her chest. Her heart was throbbing in pain. The people who got off the ship, were Ruby, Jaune and Nephrite's own mother.

"Mom." Nephrite said weakly as she stood up.

"Nephrite!" Nora rushed over to her. "I'm so glad you're okay." Nora gave her daughter and tight hug. Nora put her hands on the girl's shoulders as the hug broke. "Now, where's your father?"

Nephrite's heart sank. Her face contorted into a sopping mess of confusion and anger. Tears welled up and ran down her cheeks again. Her mother seemed to understand. Her hands went to her mouth. Her whole body started shaking.

"Nora." Jaune said.

"No." Nora whimpered. She pulled Nephrite into another hug.

"I'm so sorry!" Nephrite wailed.

"It's okay baby." Nora rubbed her back. "I…I always knew this would happen to one of us someday." She said through her tears. "I'm just glad you're alright. Just let it out. Let it all out." Nephrite and Nora both started sobbing. The both of them collapsed onto their knees.

"What happened?" Ruby scowled.

"We were fighting Grimm." Citrine said. "Then…these people showed up. "I-I-I did everything I could but I…I wasn't fast enough. I couldn't stop them. They grabbed me. They said that they were trying to lure you out." Citrine's hands covered her mouth as she realized she probably said too much. Nephrite could feel an overwhelming power surge from Ruby. She spun around with her cape snapping in the wind.

"You all still have jobs to do." She said. "There'll be time to mourn later. These ships are taking the people who were in your shelter to Patch, Atlas and vacuo where it's safe."

"You all?" Jaune said. "Ruby what are you doing?"

"I'm ending this!" Ruby snapped. "I'm doing what I should have been able to do eighteen God Damn years ago. He's taken so much from me, from us already. He did all of this because of me. This time…I'm going to kill him." She rocketed towards the sky with a thunderous boom.

"Ruby wait!" Jaune yelled. "God, damn it!" He punched the airship. "I'm going after her." Jaune ran and picked up Helios' bike. "I'll bring it back." He promised as he rode off. Citrine tried running after him but was grabbed by Eiess.

"You heard your mom." Eiess said. "We have an honor to uphold. Let them do their duty, and we'll do ours."

"Any word from Topaz?" Citrine asked.

"If she's dead, we haven't found a body." Scott said. "We should still expect the worst." He said solemnly. The news just made Nephrite's heart ache even more.

"Vale isn't lost yet." Citrine said. "We've held our ground. Now it's time to push the rest of the monsters out." She looked to her allies. "Prof. Nora, will you fill in for our team?" She asked.

"Of course." Nora said.

"Team JANS will head towards the clock tower." Johnny said. "There's a pressing number of nevermores in that area still."

"We'll head to the CFVY shop." Citrine said. "There's a large Grimm that has roosted over there." She looked to Johnny. "Good luck and stay safe."

 **AN: So, the battle continues. No rest for the wicked as they say. The teams are heading towards their big boss fights. Ruby and Jaune are going after Levi. But next time, I get to exercise my lore skills with a 'new' subplot. By new I mean I'm incorporating something from Volume 4.**


	66. The Terrible Fate and the Titanic Truth

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: This chapter was going to be a little later. But after the trauma I just put you through, you guys deserve a nicer, happier chapter. Well, happier is a matter of perspective here…it has a lot of exposition.**

Chapter 66: The Terrible Fate and a Titanic Truth

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" His voice cut through the darkness.

"Huh?" Topaz's eyes shot open. Dark clouds were above her. She was laying uncomfortably on a rock. There was a small campfire. Sitting at the fire was a tall man covered in a shadowy robe. He wore a bird mask that seemed unconnected to his round face. The mask was brown and leathery. As he rocked his head shoulder to shoulder, the mask would follow a split second later.

"Well?" He said.

"Where am I?!" Topaz sat up quickly. "Who are you?"

"Hmm…" He put a finger to his mask. The eye holes were made out of a dark glass but even then, Topaz could make out a pair of orange eyes. "I wonder about that." He tapped on his mask with a gloved hand.

"Are you an Arbiter?" Topaz's eyes narrowed. She knew most of the Arbiters thanks to August and Yang. But this man's mask was different. It wasn't a Grimm mask.

"No." He said. "Well…I guess you could say I'm associated with them. I know them well. You can call me Arancia."

"Topaz." She introduced herself.

"Indeed." His voice slipped through her ears. "And what a stroke of fate you have witnessed. What's the last thing you remember?"

"I was at the docks in Vale. There was a tidal wave, a bunch of Grimm and…" Topaz's eyes went wide. "I'm not dead, am I?"

"Not yet." Arancia laughed. "I plucked you from the gates of heaven if you catch my drift. For that reason, I think you owe me something."

"What is it? What is this place?"

"Where we are doesn't matter." Arancia said. Topaz looked around. All she could see were other pillars poking above the dark clouds that hung around them. "Now, sit by the fire."

"Alright." Topaz sat cross legged at the fire.

"Hmm…" Arancia tapped his mask. "What do you know about the Grimm? Their origins, I mean."

"Well…no one knows." Topaz answered.

"That's a lie." Arancia said.

"Well…there's a lot of theories. One of them is probably right."

"The Primordial." Arancia said.

"Ah…that one comes from Vacuo I believe."

"It is most widely believed by the Vacuo people. But it comes from the Truth." Arancia said.

"Well…that's just your theory."

"Oh…of course." He leaned on his hand. "How foolish of me to believe my opinion was greater than anyone else's." He said with sarcasm.

"The Primordial made the planet and the people." Topaz recited. "To test his creation, he cast his body aside and it became the Hecatonchires, the original Grimm. His spirit took the form of a Wizard. The Wizard and the monster battled, destroying the moon. The Hecatonchires then split to form the seven Grimoire. The Wizard split his magic into the four Maidens. His memories went to a young man named Ozpin, who transferred those memories through the millennia."

"That's the gist of it." Arancia said. "But there's more to it. For the sake of brevity let's discuss something not often shared among the stories."

"What is it?"

"It was never discussed much just because it lacked importance. But have you ever wondered where the Primordial came from."

"I never bought the whole Primordial thing."

"Alright, hypothetically then?" He sounded annoyed.

"Well…I've heard people talking about the Black Gate and a realm beyond it." Arancia clapped his hands.

"You're close enough." Arancia said. He leaned closer and pulled some dust out of his pocket. "The Primordial was king in his realm. He became so powerful that the only way to keep from destroying his own realm, was to siphon his power to another realm."

"Remnant."

"Precisely, though it wasn't Remnant back then." He sprinkled dust into the fire. The flames took form to illustrate his story. "His spirit took the form of the Wizard, true, but it was not his whole body that became the Hecatonchires. It was in fact, his twin brother, wishing to outdo the Primordial. He took the creature the Primordial had forged, and added his own power too it. That is why the Wizard sought to weaken it before it rose to fight humanity."

"Two Primordials?" Topaz rose a brow.

"If you believe such things. In their struggle, they created four relics of their power. That is, the power of their home realm. One of these items you have seen."

"The Eye of Truth." Topaz said.

"Yes." He sprinkled more dust in. "There were two Eyes of Truth. Currently, one of them is in the possession of your Headmaster." Qrow appeared in the flames. "And the other is in Oblivion, sealed away along with the Witch Salem." Salem appeared in the flames.

"So, I've heard."

"Should the two Eyes of Truth be brought together they would form one relic, the Eye of Knowledge. No man should wield such an item. That is why the Wizard gave one to Abraham, of Argent Way." A man with an eye patch and mustache appeared in the flames. "But there are three other relics."

"That's…" Topaz was at a loss for words.

"In ancient times only three beings knew this. Ozpin, who had the memories of the Wizard, Salem, who once wielded the full power of the Wizard, Avarice, born from the Eye of Knowledge and Truth."

"What does this have to do with me? Why are you telling me this? Why do you know?"

"I said this was in ancient times. Not even Abraham, a man fast enough to fight lightning and strong enough to bring a mountain to its knees, knew there were four relics. Though, his powers made him a perfect guardian for an Eye of Truth. But there was another who discovered the relics."

"Who?" Topaz asked.

"His name is Avis Bran." A man with white hair and red eyes appeared in the flames. "His research into what is called, Redstone, turned him into more than just a man. He nearly found all the relics. He planned to become king of the other world. But was stopped by the only other three that knew. Now, watch."

The fire expanded into a vivid picture. Avis stood in the center of an arcane rune. He appeared to be speaking into something. The wall was destroyed. Ozpin, Avarice and Salem walked into the room. Avis turned to meet them, throwing on a cloak as he greeted them.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Avis said.

"You know why we're here." Ozpin said.

"You three would see the world in stasis." Avis spat. "You're always interfering with my research. The nerve!"

"You just couldn't be satisfied with the whole of knowledge." Avarice said. "No matter, I shall rip the Eye of Truth out of your head." The symbol of truth appeared on Avis' forehead, just as it was on Salem's.

"What of you, Queen of nothing?" Avis asked.

"I'm here to see how this plays out." Salem said. "And…to take the other Eye of Truth." Her arm became a shadowy beast. Avis took a knife and cut it. Ozpin dashed in and hit him dozens of times per second with his cane. Avarice swooped in and swatted him through a wall.

Avis held his own for quite a beating. But it was clear he was no fighter. Salem's shadowy beast bit off Avis' arm. Ozpin destroyed the lab with a pulse of energy. Avarice slammed him down to finish him. Just as Avarice was about to remove the Eye of Truth, a girl cloaked in silver dove in and stabbed him in the chest with a dagger.

"Aero Seerlivey." Arancia explained. "She was once a pupil of Avis Bran. It was widely believed she betrayed him. She was the one who informed the others of his location. They thought it was because she saw the depths of his madness. We know now that wasn't the case."

Avarice reached for Avis' head as his soul was sucked into Aero's dagger. He put his clawed hand around the man's head. Then, in a swift strike, Aero cut off Avarice's hand. He picked slashed her across the chest and into the wall.

"I will not let a monster like you use such a power." Aero said. Her eyes radiated with a silver light. The fire the images were being played on ceased.

"Avis knew that so long as those three lived he'd never achieve his goal." Arancia said. "So, he had Aero trap his soul inside her blade. A Blade of Abraham traps the souls and essence of its victims. From there a plan was set in motion. Cipher, an answer to a question no one has thought to ask."

"What's the question?" Topaz asked.

"What is at the beginning of beginnings?" Arancia whispered. "Salem, Ozpin and Avarice are gone. Avis Bran has returned. It is he who is responsible for what is going on in the world. You have to stop him. You must find the relics before he does."

"Why me?" Topaz said.

"You're resourceful, strong, and you owe me. Your connections will help you." Citrine and Nova appeared in the fire. Then, Johnny Nephrite and the Arbiters did as well. "Trust your friends. Do not trust this information with the Arbiters or the Headmasters."

"Where will I find them?"

"There are three islands which Ozpin erased from the maps to protect the relics. Find them. You're a sailor. Compare maps from ancient times with the ones you have today. But first things first. You may want to help save Vale."

"I might?" Topaz shot up. "Vale is still in danger?"

"Well, yes. It's only been a few hours." Arancia waved her off. "I can get you there in an instant."

"Okay." Topaz sighed in relief. "Before I go…what do you have to gain from this."

"Hmmm…" Arancia tapped on his mask yet again. "I do wonder about that. I can't lie. I don't believe in them. Only truth shall prevail. I guess…I just want to screw over Avis once again."

Topaz fell through a Black Gate. A moment later, she was back in Vale. It was still storming. The streets looked deserted. A massive bird-like Grimm flew overhead. There were other Grimm in the area. Topaz grabbed her scroll, but it was broken.

"I'm coming team. One way or another." She said resolutely.

 **AN: Relics yay. Not really, I think I actually did a better job at incorporating them than the actual show did. Arancia also has some secrets up his sleeves. This is going to get interesting.**


	67. Helmaroc

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: This and the next chapter are sort of interchangeable. I basically flipped a coin to see which one would be first. And yes, both monsters in these chapters are two of my favorite Zelda bosses.**

Chapter 67: Helmaroc

Nova led the pack towards the clock tower. The helmaroc was perched on the tower. It gave a cry like a temperamental rooster. There were cancers gathered around the base of the clock tower. Nova jumped out of the way of one of their claws. She focused her energy into her swords and cleaved it in half.

Johnny got ahead of her and blasted a pair of cancers with his flashlight. He looked at her and smirked. Nova rolled her eyes. Scott fired his artillery rounds into the air, trying to get the attention of the helmaroc.

Ariadne played her flute, creating wind sickles to slice through the Grimm. The Helmaroc lifted off and circled around the tower. It didn't look to be interested in fighting the team itself. It just kept flying behind buildings to avoid Scott's fire.

Johnny fired up at the bird but it managed to bank left to dodge the light beam. Ariadne played her flute but the sound waves weren't strong enough to hinder the beast. Scott jumped back as a kappa lunged for him and he blasted it in the face.

"That thing won't hold still." Scott said.

"No shit." Ariadne said.

"We need to clip its wings." Johnny said. "There should be an elevator in the tower."

"The extra cover would also allow us to funnel the Grimm." Scott said.

"We're not using extra cover." Johnny said.

"What are you on about?" Ariadne said.

"Trust me, we got this." Johnny rushed into the tower.

"Johnus Amon Clay!" Ariadne cursed as she chased after him. Scott shrugged as he looked at Nova.

"His first name is Johnus?" Scott said. Nova shrugged.

"His middle name is Amon." Nova shrugged. She darted inside after them. She pivoted on her heel and cut a pursuing kappa's head off.

"Nice moves." Johnny said. He opened the elevator shaft and started tinkering with the cables.

"How are you so calm?" Ariadne said.

"I'm always confident when I know exactly what I'm doing." Johnny said.

"What are you doing?" Ariadne asked.

"Patience." Johnny said.

"Whatever you're doing, do it quick." Nova said. She took a look at what he was doing. The elevator cart was below him. He was messing with the cables.

Nova spun and kicked a beowolf away from the door and into Scott's gunfire. She spun her body around with all three blades cutting through a group of Grimm. She flipped out of the way as a cloyster dropped down into the building.

"Ready." Johnny said. Scott blasted the entrance, causing it to collapse.

"That should buy us some time." He said.

"Johnny, this is crazy." Ariadne protested.

"And awesome." He had his feet on the cable box, a hand on the cable, and his other hand extended. "Do you trust me?" The Grimm started clawing their way through.

"I do." Scott said without hindrance. He grabbed onto the cable. Nova had an idea of what he was going to do. The thought brought a genuine grin to her face.

"Yes." Ariadne said after a moment of hesitation. Nova joined them and grabbed onto the cable.

"Hold on tight." Johnny said. He fired his light. The elevator dropped from under their feet, launching them upward.

"I hate you Johnny Clay!" Ariadne cried.

"My brains are going into my feet." Scott said. Nova started climbing the cable. "Watch it."

"You watch it." She used Scott as a stepping stone to climb higher. She put her feet on Johnny's head.

"I'm taking that thing down first." Nova said.

"Okay, yeah, alright, not like this was my plan or anything." Johnny muttered.

"Here we go." Nova snarled. Johnny blasted through the roof. Nova kicked off his head to propel herself towards the helmaroc. The bird screeched and started flying higher. "Kuso." She created a clone. "You are not getting away from me." As her clone threw her further, memories of all the times she had failed flashed in her mind. She slashed at the beast. She threw herself with another clone to get behind it. Her blade bounced off its thick hide.

It tried flying away. Nova grappled onto it's tail and climbed onto its back. She stabbed it over and over again, trying to make headway. Her blades would only dig a few inches in with each strike. This thing was way stronger than any nevermore or griffon. How had something so powerful gone unchecked? It's not like the proteus. It wasn't hiding in the oceans for untold centuries. This thing was new. Ruby had seen the first one ever not too long ago.

"Keep it up!" Johnny cheered as he blasted it with his flashlight.

"Kuso." She kept wailing on the helmaroc. With every ineffective strike, her rage built more and more. It was the proteus all over again. Nova pressed her teeth together and squeezed her eyes shut. She hated it, hated how weak she was. All her training and nothing to show for it. She lost to Jet. Yang had to bail her out against Mercury. She couldn't even touch Ruby. Verdant, Johnny, Deus, Akhdir, they all made her look like a spoiled little brat in way over her head.

"Nova?" Ariadne gasped.

Nova's vision went violet. She blindly slashed at the helmaroc's wing. The beast writhed in pain and crashed into a nearby roof. Nova tumbled to the ground. Johnny and Ariadne followed her to the roof. Scott stayed on the clock tower and fired down on the Grimm. Nova rolled onto her feet and readied herself. The helmaroc flapped its wings but one of them was crippled. It was freaking out, jumping back and forth.

"Good job." Johnny said.

"Okay." Nova was a little shell-shocked. She didn't realize she had hit it so hard.

"Nova go left, Ariadne right." Johnny commanded. The beast pecked at Johnny. He dodged it and its beak got lodged into the building. Johnny blasted it at point-blank range. Nova spun around and hacked at its tail.

Ariadne kept it down by funneling gravity dust into her flute playing. Johnny slammed his light down, stunning the creature. It jerked its head up. It's mak was cracked. Nova used a clone to launch herself in the air.

With a mighty battle cry, she cleaved into its neck. Johnny jumped behind her and kicked her sword deeper into the beast's throat. It's head toppled over. The rest of its body jerked around a few seconds. Johnny grabbed Nova and pulled her away from the sporadic wing.

"Let me go." Nova fumed. Johnny landed on the ground with her in his arms.

"This is the part where you say..." Johnny was interrupted when Nova punched him in the face. "My hero." He set her down.

"You didn't need to pull me away like that." Nova said all flustered. "I could have taken the hit."

"I'm not so sure about that." Johnny said. Nova sat on the edge of the roof. "Good job team. Mission accomplished." Nova sulked in silence.

"What's her deal?" Ariadne asked but Johnny waved her off. He then took a seat next to her.

"You've done good work today. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"I just want people to know that I can do this." Nova sulked. "But why would you care? You've never lost a single battle. I haven't accomplished anything without your help."

"Don't sell yourself short." Johnny said. "I don't know what I would do without you. I've always gotten by thanks to my reaction speed, logic and a nifty weapon. But I see something far greater in you."

"Stop patronizing me." Nova fumed. "This is what pissed me off. You try to be nice but it always sounds like you're talking down to me. Like I'm a little girl that needs to be coddled."

"I'm sorry if you feel that way. It's not my intention."

"That just makes it worst because I can't stay mad at you for it, baka."

"I know how you feel." Johnny smiled. "It's not easy being burdened with something like that."

"What do you mean?" Nova asked.

"You still don't know." He sighed. "I guess your pride has drowned out every voice but your own. That's probably for the best. Suffice to say...I know for a fact that you're well on your way to achieving your dream. After all, you have starry eyes like me."

 **AN: That's it for this chapter. Anybody who ships Starry Eyes (Nova x Johnny) eat your heart out for now. Next time our other heroes will be fighting the helmasaur.**


	68. Helmasaur

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: I've had quite the busy day today but I'm still going. But I managed to launch a new YouTube series called MIS: Most Important Scene. In the first one, I talked about Star Wars and that's pretty topical.**

Chapter 68: Helmasaur

Eiess and the girls walked down the water-logged streets. They were taking their time. They, particularly Nephrite, were still trying to rationalize the tragic loss. Eiess knew Ren well enough. He was in her mother's circle of friends. But he was never close to the Schnees. The Rens were close to the Rose-Arcs who were in turn close to the Schnees. She knew him more as a professor than anything and even then the lost weighed heavily on her shoulders.

"We're going to get through this together." Citrine said resolutely.

"I'm just ready for this nightmare to end." Nora sighed. "How're you holding up baby girl?"

"I'm…" Nephrite sniffled. "Mom, how are we going to tell the others? L-Lanmei will be crushed and Chenzi and...Oh my God Rosaline." Nephrite's knees buckled.

"We'll be there for them." Nora caught her and kissed the top of her head.

"But what if another one of those things…?"

Enough." Nora snapped. "We're going to live on and be just fine."

Eiess swallowed her empathy. There would be time for such niceties when this was over. Poor Rosaline would just have to grow up without her father. Eiess couldn't imagine what it must be like for any of them.

"We have to protect each other now." Citrine said.

They arrived in the area. Eiess used her glyphs to get everybody onto the rooftop. There were two other people up there. Eiess had seen both of them in the time that she frequented the CFVY Shop. Fox Alistair and Peter Cottail. Fox had been a member of the shop's founding and titular team. Peter was the husband of its owner, Velvet. Fox had the same arm blades he had worn as a student and soldier during the Grimm War.

"It's about time someone showed up." Fox said.

"What's the situation?" Citrine asked.

"It appears to be sleeping." Peter said. "But the helmasaur is surrounded by cloysters.

"We should still be able to take advantage of that." Citrine said.

"It's helmet is Damn near indestructible." Nora said.

"We'll attack its flanks." Citrine said. "Nephrite, Eiess and I can circle around. With my speed, Eiess' mobility and Nephrite's semblance we should be able to get the drop on it. When that happens, the three of you start fighting the cloysters and draw the helmasaur's attention."

"On it." Nora grabbed her hammer. Electricity started coursing through her body. Nora gave a small laugh.

"What is it?" Eiess asked her. Eiess traced the professor's eyes to Citrine, who was standing on the edge of the building with her cape blowing in the wind.

"Nothing..." Nora smiled. "It's just...she's so much like her parents." Eiess nodded.

"Alright." Citrine said. "Everybody ready?"

"Wait." Nephrite said.

"What is it?" Citrine said.

"I...I don't know if I can do this." Nephrite said. "I...I failed to keep my semblance up once today and..."

"Can it." Citrine said. "Stop doubting yourself. I believe in you. You only failed because of how many people...and how long...you were projecting your semblance. And even then...not a single one of them died." Citrine said firmly.

"But dad..."

"Was killed by Dagger." Citrine raised her voice. Eiess thought she could see a fire in her leader's eyes. "No amount of your semblance could have stopped that. Lucky yours gave out when it did. Otherwise Dagger would have popped in right in the middle of the crowd. I'm fine with you moping. I get that you're upset. But damn it don't blame yourself." Citrine sunk her head low. "We did all we could...that's all anybody can ask for."

Nephrite nodded. She extended her semblance to encompass her teammates. It always felt a little strange to Eiess when Nephrite used her semblance. It effectively cut off the output of emotions on people. Thus, cutting off the Grimm's source of, what the closest thing they had of, abstinence. For someone with Eiess' semblance, it made it difficult. Eiess semblance was driven by emotion and without her feelings having a way to vent, she was much more vulnerable while Nephrite used her semblance.

They got into position behind the helmasaur. Citrine made gestures to show where they would hit. They would focus on the limbs. First step was to immobilize the beast. Then would execute. Eiess readied Mondfriedan. Citrine gave the signal, and by signal, she meant a sonic boom as she disapeared into rose petals and hooked her scythe around one of its hind legs.

The beast awoke. There was an explosion of electricity as Nora crashed down on top of a cloyster. The shock wave blasted the rest of the smaller Grimm away. Fox manipulated the pair of thunderous moves to fuel his semblance and rip a cloyster apart with a sonic wave. Eiess lunged in and slashed at the beast's other hind leg. She used three glyphs, a platform, a gravity, and a blat glyph, to lift its leg up. Nephrite jumped on the back end of Eiess' blade to push it further and through the lightly armored leg. Citrine fired the gun of her weapon to rip through her leg.

The helmasaur's tail whipped around, smacking Eiess. Citrine turned her weapon into a shield and blocked it. She then threw the shield to cover Eiess and called it back with her magnetic recall feature. Citrine rolled on the ground to stand next to Eiess. Eiess used a glyph to pull the two of them out of range of the tail. With a flick of her wrist, she turned the wet ground into ice, making it harder for the monster to move.

Eiess summoned her griffon and Citrine used it as a mount to maneuver above the monster. Nephrite spun in the air, firing her guns. She jumped out of the way of the tail and Citrine intercepted the appendage. As the tail slammed back, Eiess caught it in a gravity glyph.

"All of its armor is too thick!" Eiess said.

I felt a weak spot!" Fox said. "Problem is it's underneath that helmet."

Nephrite rushed in and hit its head with a vacuum palm. The strike was ineffective. As she flipped back, she nodded to confirm Fox's suspicion. Eiess used some storm dust to create a storm and barrage the beast. Citrine kept slashing at its back to no avail.

Nephrite stood in front of the helmasaur. It was thrashing around, shrugging off any attacks that came its way. Eiess rode around on her griffon. Nephrite looked shell shocked as the beast kept thrashing.

"Nephrite, what are you doing?" Eiess yelled. She felt Nephrite's semblance engulf her again. She could see it affecting everyone but Nephrite. The monster focused on her. It charged at her and opened its maw. Nephrite fired into it. Nora jumped in to help. Eiess hit Nova with time dilation.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Nora screamed. Her hammer shook the ground with a massive electric explosion. When the smoke cleared, the helmasaur was still alive, but part of its helmet had cracked off. There was a pulsating mass underneath.

"Who would have guessed we just needed to hit it harder." Citrine said. Eiess shook her head and smiled.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" Nora barked.

"I knew it would work." Nephrite said.

"Still." Nora said.

"We'll talk later." Nephrite said. The beast flopped towards them. Eiess moved to intercept it but something moved past her.

"Kept you waiting didn't I?" Topaz said as she thrust her trident through the beast's head.

"Topaz!" Everyone cheered.

"Where the hell were you?" Citrine said.

"Oh you should have been there. There was a few monsters, a weird bird mask guy a handsome prince, you were missing out." The monster disappeared as Topaz pulled her blade out.

 **AN: It's a team reunion. Those are always nice. Next chapter is going to be pretty freaking intense. It's going to be the Finest Hour.**


	69. Finest Hour

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: Well, it's here. The rematch you've all been waiting for. Because of how busy I am, this is probably going up late. If so, I hope it was worth the extra hours of wait. I do see the irony in that many of you probably wait a few days then catch up so none of this affects you.**

Chapter 69: Finest Hour

Levi stood on the roof with Avis. The alchemist was taking joy in how devastating his experiment was. The streets were water-logged. Grimm were running wild, though thanks to the huntsmen and students their activity was already beginning to dwindle. Levi just waited patiently. He hadn't expected a scylla to assault Patch. The monster was ultimately ineffectual but it managed to waste his time…by wasting her time.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Avis said. "With a snap of my fingers on a whim I've done more damage to Vale than you did with an army and five years of preparation."

"Differences in technique." Levi said. "I brought Vale to its knees and sent its greatest heroes to the brink of death. All you did was place your little slice of heaven on the other side of the planet and let physics do the rest."

"Well…and to be fair to you…you didn't use Grimm. Cloak's been dropping Grimm around the streets per your orders. What changed."

"I want Ruby Rose beaten and broken and I don't have an army this time." Levi said. "The Grimm are an affective distraction for her friends."

"That they are." Avis laughed. Levi could hear the roaring of a fast approaching object.

"It's time." Levi hissed. He flipped his helmet on. By the time he turned, Ruby had already dropped to the rooftop. "Sure, did keep me waiting. I hope the scylla didn't take too much fight out of you."

"I've had it with your games Levi." Ruby looked towards Avis. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, but a means to an end I'm afraid." Avis flaunted. "I'll say, it's been quite a while since I encountered one of your particular semblance. The way Levi talked about you…I thought you'd be taller."

"He's of no consequence to you right now." Levi growled.

"Have fun Argentware. Oh, and Mrs. Rose…try not to make too much of a mess of the poor boy. He still owes me favors." He snapped his fingers and vanished.

Levi clenched his fist. He knew Avis was just getting a rise out of him. All his life, Levi had been told that his family would never amount to what the Roses were capable of. That he'd never be able to beat Ruby Rose. Those voices were silent as Levi got in his battle stance and Ruby unfurled her over-sized gardening tool.

"This will be my finest hour." Levi said.

"This'll be your final hour." Ruby threatened.

They sprinted towards each other and clashed. Vile's forearms slammed against Ruby's shaft. The roof cracked from the impact. Ruby spun her scythe around. Vile danced around the blade and peppered in some gunshots. She danced around them and pressed foreword. Vile flipped around as she peppered in gunshots of her own. The two warriors were getting a feel for each other. They were trying to see how much had changed in the last eighteen years.

"Just as good as I remember." Levi stated. "Going to make it all the more satisfying when I finally beat you."

"Keep dreaming." Ruby kicked it up a notch. As her scythe blade hit Levi in the chest, he knew something was different. Levi knew that so long as the power of Spring was at her command, he'd never over power her. So he had to be smart, skilled, armed with the right tools, and just fast and strong enough to keep from being overwhelmed.

Which was easy eighteen years ago. Back then Ruby just wanted to stop him. She hadn't pulled her punches but she always aimed her blows to maim or disable her foe. This was different. She was angry and she was using that anger. If Levi didn't know better...he'd think she was trying to kill him. Levi kept moving. He fired his guns to get her to move. When she did, he'd have a construct waiting, usually a sword to intercept her or a shield to block her counter.

Vile fired his last bullet and missed. Ruby locked her weapon onto the barrels of his guns. The two spun around in a gridlock until Ruby blasted him with a hay-maker to the head. Levi tumbled to the ground and put his guns together to form the Sword of Damocles. It wouldn't be effective against a fellow Argentware, but it would provide better defense. Ruby's eyes lit up with the power of Spring. Levi slammed a hand to the ground to activate his trap glyph, meant to seal the maiden powers. Without missing a beat, Ruby used her gun to blow a chunk of the rooftop off, breaking the glyph before it could take effect.

"Worth a shot." Levi grunted.

"Your stupid little tricks won't work this time Levi!" Ruby taunted. She scattered into the wind leaving clouds of rose petals behind. She charged them with all the elements at her disposal. Levi took out a pair of dust crystals. The cascade of projectiles raged towards him. He used a gravity crystal to blow some away and used an ice crystal to cover his flank. He jumped out of the way of some and used his semblance to block what remained.

He created a canon construct to blast enough away to create an opening. He sprinted forward and created clone constructs to divide the attention of the divine cloud. Two clones were swallowed immediately. Levi and the others split further apart to escape the attack. He spun around to slash some projectiles away and flung blade beams to cut further through the cloud of petals. When he did, Ruby appeared behind him and smacked him down.

When Levi hit the building, it kicked up some dust. He used that to use his suit and turn invisible. But Ruby didn't fall for it. She grabbed his arm and punched him in the gut. Levi stood his ground and kicked her in the face. He slashed her across the chest and ended the combination with a shotgun kick to the shin. She staggered to a knee. Levi kicked her in the face and she summoned a tree to punch him away.

"Maiden powers won't save you forever." Levi said.

Rose petals swirled around her. She put her hood up to hide her features, looking like a specter or angel of death. Levi raised his sword to cover his front and summoned shields to cover his back and flanks. Ruby wound her body like a a tiger ready to pounce. She sprinted right for him. He sliced clean through her, an afterimage. The real Ruby appeared a split second later, just as Levi was following through with his swing. She stabbed him with her war scythe, tripped him with its handle, slammed it down on him, kicked him through a parapet onto another roof and blasted him with lightning, all in one fluid motion.

Levi rolled to his feet and surrounded his armor with his semblance. She sprinted at him. Every time he took a swing it would be a clone made from rose petals. Levi caught a glimmer of light from her eyes, just in time to back out of range of a palm strike. But she cast wind magic with the blow. A gust strong enough to split a mountain hit him in the chest, sending him flying again.

"Still alive?" She said. "Impressive. It's the suit isn't it? I know it's not the sad pathetic excuse for a man inside." She taunted like a villain. Levi constructed blades, arrows and axes and hurled them at her. With a wave of her hand she blasted them away. "You forget, your semblance is like my husband's. Did you think I would forget that? Did you think I would just sit pretty while you kept training to kill me?"

"I need to be strong." Levi whispered as he punched the ground. "I need to be even stronger!" He surrounded his body in the massive armored suit construct. He fired canon blasts at Ruby's feet, causing her to fly backwards. He sent a clone construct to halt her retreat. She knocked it away with her scythe. That cost her just enough time for Levi to punch her with his construct. He flung more arrows at her. She caught them with her fireballs and they slammed around the roof. She bounced around and flew behind him. Levi pulsed with power to stun her. She circled around but Levi caught her by the cape and slammed her down to the street below.

"You aren't strong." Ruby said. He tightened his grip on her as she struggled against the massive hand.

"I am strong. Strong enough to beat you."

"To what end?"

"This." He gathered up energy in the constructs hand. His suit ran to full capacity to fuel his semblance. "You. Are. My. Mission." Each blow to her head caused the ground to shake. Lightning struck Levi but all it did was feed his power. She shot fire from her eyes. Levi caught the green flame and rubbed it in her face. Ruby strained and lifted chunks of road with her magic. Levi blasted them away.

"Ruby!" Someone called. Jaune ran towards them.

"Jaune!" She reached for him. "Stay back." Jaune ignored her and fired a canon construct.

"Dagger." Levi called. Dagger intercepted the canon blast and sprinted towards the knight. The silver blades clashed against each other, giving a unique ring.

"No distractions." Dagger said.

Ruby squeezed her eyes shut and steadied her breath. Levi went to punch her again but her aura extended around her, blocking the attack. She put her hand on her belt clip. The dust ignited and formed a massive earth dragon that slammed into him. Levi's grip broke as he tumbled backwards. Ruby rode the dragon as it wrapped around Levi's giant construct. With a single gesture he ripped it apart. Ruby wiped some blood from her mouth. The remains of the dragon ignited into a volcanic mass of explosions. Levi's construct was ripped apart. Before he realized it, Ruby was behind him with a fist full of lightning, chopping at the back of his neck.

"There's more to strength than how hard you can hit." Ruby lectured as she floated above him. She looked to Jaune and Dagger who were exchanging blades. "You could have so much more than Vile. But you're scared. You're scared of OUR family legacy."

"I fear nothing."

"You're a liar and a coward Levi." She lifted her hand up. "And this is your end." She fired a ball of green flame. Levi used the Sword of Damocles to deflect it back. She dodged the rebound and rushed forward. Levi put all his power into his suits defenses. They hit a gridlock as both their powers collided. Her scythe extended into its war scythe form again. The blade tore through Levi's chest plate and dug into his shoulder. Levi ignored the pain as he dug his sword into her stomach.

"At this rate we'll both die." He laughed.

"You and I...taking each other into the next life." Ruby said. "I think I'd be fine with that." Her weapon's advance stopped and she grabbed his sword. "But I have too much to live for still." She headbutted him. Both weapons were pulled from their respective bodies. She batted him with her scythe, popping his helmet off. She put a hand to her stomach, closing the wound with her powers.

Levi created a scythe construct and pulled her in. The two locked their weapons and flung each other into a gas station. They hit the dust cell and it erupted into flames. The explosion ripped through Levi's chest plate and the armor around his left arm. The fire surrounded Ruby and was concentrated into a beam of energy. Levi put up a shield just in time to block the move Ruby had obviously learned from fighting Cinder. But the blast still shattered his aura. Ruby grabbed his leg. The dust cells in it blew apart, taking out the grieve. The shrapnel tore Levi's leg apart.

"Gah!" Levi screamed away the 's outfit was also torn and tattered. Her cape was only about half its original length. Her left sleeve and right pant leg were gone. She stumbled forward. Levi pulled out a gun and shot her in the leg. She dropped to the ground. Her weapon took aim for him. He couldn't move. Anger and rage fueled his body. He had been so close. He nearly beat her at her best. He just needed to fire one more bullet.

He did. And so did she. Levi was there just long enough to see the shield construct deflect the skull-round before it hit Ruby between the eyes. Levi saw her bullet drifting towards him in slow motion. His body was at the peak of anger. They would have both died if not for the Arc. Then, he heard a snap. He was back in bed.

"A shame really." Avis said. "For a moment I thought he'd have won. No matter. Hopefully the draw satisfies his need to prove himself. And now...the Rose is too weak to stop what happens next."

 **AN: I know what some of you are thinking. God Damn why couldn't Levi just die? Well, there's still use for him. Plus, I don't want to kill him. Honestly he's the only reason why Cipher is even a threat at all. So, until next time, thanks for reading and stay classy.**


	70. St Jaune and the Dragon

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: *Looks suspiciously at his audience* I'm not apologizing. But without giving anything away…this chapter is incredibly important for a few of the things that are going to happen later. But enough about that…Did you freaking see that Last Jedi teaser.**

Chapter 70: St. Jaune and the Dragon

"Hiya!" Jaune emoted. The wind off his blade beam coupled with the rain cleared the fire. He looked down at his solemn and beaten wife. There was still a fire in her eyes. Jaune wondered if she really wanted Levi dead. "Don't blame yourself." Jaune sat in front of her and kissed her forehead.

"He's going to come back." Ruby said in short bursts. "And…I don't know if I'm going to be able to stop him next time." Ruby planted her head into his chest plate. He rubbed her back trying to comfort her.

"We'll beat him. We always do."

"But last time he killed my dad and now Ren's dead and…"

"Shush…none of this is your fault. Hell…it was Dagger that killed Ren. And from what Yang has said…those two have been plotting much longer than Levi's been around."

"There's another." She said.

"Was Briggs here?" Jaune pondered.

"No, a new guy." Ruby explained. "He had white hair and red eyes."

"Cipher has had some time to grow. We'll figure something out." Jaune pulled her in for a kiss.

"Mom! Dad!" Citrine ran towards them. Her teammates, Nora, and Team JANS were with her. "We saw the explosions." A hand went to her mouth. Nova's eyes went wide as if she had seen a ghost.

"W-what…h-happened?" Nova's voice was shaking. Ruby looked right at her.

"Levi Seerlivey was here." Ruby said.

"We beat him back but he escaped." Jaune said. "Sorry I wasn't much use."

"It's not your fault." Ruby smiled for once. "Dagger kept us apart."

"What are we going to do now?" Nora asked.

"The worst of the Grimm is gone." Johnny said.

"We'll be clearing up the streets in no time." Topaz said.

"Good to see you're doing alright." Ruby stayed seated. The ground shook around them. Jaune's heart sank. He was worried this might happen. He was worried it would be the fall of Beacon all over again.

"Something is coming." Johnny's eyes went wide.

"Ruby, I need you to give me your scope."

"No, Jaune, I'm coming with you." She tried standing but fell down.

"YOU…are the only one not coming with me." He looked to Nora and the kids. Nora was also shaking in fear but the kids were none the wiser. "Ruby there is no time." He took her weapon and slid the scope off.

"What's going on?" Citrine asked.

"The Dragon of Glenn has returned." Jaune said as he focused his mind. He put his mental concentration into the Redstone that resided in Ruby's scope. "For all those ready and willing, follow me." He slashed his sword creating a Black Gate. "Close your eyes and clench your guts. The Black Gate is notoriously unkind to the uninitiated."

They all followed him through the portal and into Qrow's office. He was on his scroll, pacing around. His sword was in his hand and his eyepiece reflected the light in the office. Jaune felt sick. Nova and Citrine handled themselves the best. Nephrite and Johnny didn't handle themselves at all and were on their hands and knees gasping for breath and vomiting.

"Damn." Qrow hung up his scroll. "Where's Ruby?"

"She's down for the count." Jaune said. "We have to get by without her."

"My students and staff are doing their best to hold that thing back." Qrow said. "We need an Argentware." He looked to Citrine. "Only the power of silver eyes can stop a harbinger like the dragon. If it escapes it'll undo all the good we've managed today."

"Right." Jaune said. "But as much as my daughter would be advantageous…she's not the only one with that power."

"No." Citrine obviously was not catching his drift. He thrust Corcea Mors into the air.

"Corcea Mors is a Blade of Abraham. Forged by Raymond Rose and Acacia Glens as a gift to my great-great-grandfather. A sword meant to carry him to victory no matter the beast. It worked against King. It worked against countless other Grimm. There is no reason why it won't work on the dragon."

"Raymond Rose had both silver eyes and a Blade of Abraham and still perished." Qrow lectured.

"When he fought the dragon alone." Jaune corrected. "And he managed to seal it which is all that mattered." He turned to the makeshift team. "Here's the plan, we lead it out into the water. Use everything we have to coral it over the sea. Topaz, you keep hitting it after we're out over the water. We want it as far out as we can. Meanwhile, Qrow and I will be on top."

"I guess I can be descent bait." Qrow took a swig of his flask.

"And we'll defeat it there." Jaune nodded.

He pulled up a map and assigned everyone their positions. A minute later they were over the Emerald Forest. Just in time for the dragon to break through the barriers. It looked every bit as terrifying as it did over twenty years ago. Jaune couldn't help but smile at his plan. This thing was just as responsible for the Fall of Beacon, and Pyrrha's death as Cinder Fall herself. Funny, Pyrrha had been a ghost longer than she was ever alive now. That thought reminded Jaune just how old he was.

Last time he had seen the beast was when they liberated Beacon over two years later. Back then, it was Ruby and Ozpin that had managed to seal it into a cave in the Emerald Forest. That whole day had been one of conquest and victory. Team RWBY had beaten Cinder and her cronies. Ozpin and Raven had discovered a potential weakness in Salem. Beacon was liberated and the day was saved.

"You ready?" Nora said.

"Yep." Jaune said with confidence.

"Don't…please don't die on me."

"Not even a possibility in my mind." Jaune smirked. He raised his sword. With this sword, I cut the hands off the closest thing mortals have ever been to approaching godhood." His memory of when he cut off Salem's hand in the final battle, flashed in his mind. "Compared to that, this is just a dog nipping at the heels."

"Good luck." Nora extended her hammer. Jaune jumped on it and was thrown into the dragon as it was taking off.

Just like he planned, Qrow went in and out of his bird form to get the dragon's attention. Jaune hooked onto its spine with a claw construct. Here, he would wait and take whatever stabs he could. Everyone was peppering it with gunfire. Jonny's flashlight hit it with enough force to stall its body, which did not do well for Jaune's stomach.

Jaune liked to think he didn't get airsick anymore but he did. Especially as the dragon undulated, he could feel it. He could see the dragon dropping Grimm into the streets. Jaune stabbed the dragon in the back with his sword and fired a canon into its head.

The dragon took a dive from the impact. Qrow appeared and stabbed it in its eye before it shrugged him off. Jaune held on for dear life. Tears rained from his eyes as he choked back screams. This sounded so cool in his head. Now he was being reduced to an infant.

With the way, they were herding the monster it didn't take long to get out over the bay. Once there, Topaz was ready with her boat. She and team CTEN bombarded it with canons and water constructs, chasing the dragon away.

Jaune could see Patch far below. The sight of his home so far beneath him made him loose it. He vomited. He laughed at the idea of the puke hitting his house, or better yet one of his friends. Qrow kept harassing and luring the beast further and further out. The way the dragon staggered while it flew let Jaune know just how much damage it had taken. But it kept after Qrow. The old man probably had lots of negative emotions bottled up and was putting them on full display to keep the dragon's attention.

After Patch was passed up, Jaune initiated his part of the plan. Qrow dove down and the dragon dove towards him. Qrow shot the beast one more time and turned back into a bird. As the dragon pulled up, Jaune used that momentum to lunge at its head. He focused all his energy into the sword. It had been Ren that taught him the technique. Jaune's powerful aura made it hard to control, but when he concentrated it the same way Ren did for a lotus palm, or Yang did for an execution punch, or Blake did for a moon slice, the outcome could be catastrophic.

And it was. The Lunar Thrust pierced the beast. The excess energy pierced the dragon all the way through. He created a dozen blade constructs and sent them flying at the fleshy wings. Penny had done an identical maneuver during the liberation of Beacon so it seemed like a good idea. It was at least a cool idea.

The dragon started plummeting. Jaune was thrown from the beast. It spun into the air. Jaune dove for it, using a canon construct to propel himself down faster. He hit the dragon in the stomach with another lunar thrust. He flung a blade beam into its chin. Its head jerked back. Jaune dragged his sword up its body, from its stomach to its neck. Had this been a flesh and blood beast, its guts would have spilled out. But this was a Grimm, a creature of shadow. It still had some fight in it.

He alternated between moon slices, blade beams and lunar thrusts. The beast howled and shrieked in fear. With its wings clipped it couldn't do anything. I hit the water. The impact bounced Jaune up. Then, its tail wrapped around him. The beast started sinking and dragged Jaune with it. Jaune hacked the tail off.

The dragon flapped what was left of its wings to shoot upward. It got just close enough to snap its jaws on Jaune's left leg. Jaune screamed in pain and bubbles flew from his mouth. He plunged his sword deep into the beast's skull. It let go of his leg and started sinking. Corcea Mors was still lodged in its head, far from Jaune's reach. Before it sunk into the abyss, Jaune could see it start to turn to stone.

Jaune's aura had shattered from the impact of the bite and his leg spurt out blood from the wound. Dragged down by armor and unable to use his leg, he was drowning. He too sunk into the dark void. His mind went to his family and loved ones. The last thing he felt before he blacked out, was the familiar feeling of his stomach screaming at the taste of Oblivion.

 **AN: Ooh boy. I'm not going to say anything. But I know you all hate this game of emotions I play. It's one of the greatest joys being a good writer can offer.**


	71. Dodongo

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: This is going to be a shorter chapter than the last few. Things are going to be wound down a little bit before the final battle of this arc. It's also another boss ripped from Zelda, this time, the original.**

Chapter 71: Dodongo

Citrine paced around the room. Everyone seemed a bit on edge. The only one who seemed the least bit calm was Johnny. Most of the city was secure. The Emerald Forest was the last remaining battle ground full of Grimm. The group had earned their break. Ruby especially was tied to a chair being force fed supplements by the Ren family to recover her strength.

But both Jaune and Qrow had yet to return. Nobody had the courage to state the possibility that they perished. Ruby was desperately trying to get ahold of them. Nora had told her to calm own and wait. Waiting is what they had done, but calm was not something any of them, most of all Citrine, was willing to do.

Then a portal appeared. Qrow came tumbling out, dragging Jaune with him. They both looked disheveled. Jaune's leg was bleeding badly. A nurse grabbed him and set him in a bed and started treating his injury.

"Jaune!" Ruby cried.

"Damn fool nearly got himself killed." Qrow said as he picked himself up. "Nearly dragged me down with him, trying to pull his sorry ass out of the drink."

"Thank you." Ruby choked back tears of joy. Citrine walked over to her father. He was getting water pumped out of his body. His leg was a mangled mess. And his sword was nowhere to be seen.

"Dad?" Citrine said.

"Stand back Ms. Rose." The nurse said. "He's going to be fine. His vitals are already stabilizing."

"Black Gate evaporated all that excess water that was going to kill him." Qrow explained as he took a swig from his flask. "So, kiddo, the hell happened to you?" He looked at Ruby.

"Levi." She answered.

"Vile did that to you?" Qrow said in disbelief.

"Yes. I…he got away. He wasn't alone. There was someone else. A man. White hair and red eyes. He disappeared when he snapped his fingers. Sound familiar."

"Hmm…" Qrow hummed.

"I know that all those with red eyes share a common ancestor with you. On top of that, with that hair he seemed similar to Salem. It seems familiar." Qrow massaged his temples.

"Impossible."

"You have heard of him."

"Only one person matches that description. Avis Bran. But he lived over two-thousand years ago."

"Perhaps a descendent. Sort of like how Levi is a descendent of an Argentware family thought to have been long dead."

"That is not outside the realm of possibility. Hell, could be another one of those Project AKAS creeps Cipher tends to get ahold of."

"Still…" Ruby said. "It was odd."

"At least this nightmare is almost over." Nora said. Not a moment later alarms started buzzing. Qrow answered his scroll.

"Alright." He said a minute later. "The Grimm are pulling out but there's a dodongo that breached the wall in Forever Fall. Which wouldn't be a problem but everyone in that area is out of commission from all the other Grimm." He looked to the kids. "Any volunteers." Citrine, Johnny and Nova stood up. Eiess stood up right afterwards.

"We'll handle it." Citrine said.

"Alright." Qrow swung his scythe and created a portal. "Go on and hurry back. Any one of you could probably take the beast. With all four of you, it should be a piece of cake."

Citrine and the others jumped into the portal. They appeared by the Forever Fall wall. The area was being bombarded with fire balls. The dodongo roared and spewed meteors from its mouth. The massive lizard-like Grimm had a thick shell and a trio of horns sprouting from its head.

There were soldiers and students lying everywhere. The whole block of the city was desolate. The buildings were in disarray, broken by the Grimm surge. The dodongo spewed another fireball. This time, Eiess used a glyph to catch it and throw it back.

"Eiess, you and Nova get these people out of here." Johnny said. "Citrine, cover me." Johnny ran forward at a serpentine, dodging the fireballs. Eiess used her glyphs and Nova used her clones to block the attacks and get people to safety.

Citrine darted around and shot the beast's body. The dodongo took notice of her and spat a fireball at her. She blocked it with her shield, bouncing it back at the monster. The monster swallowed the fireball and was stunned. Johnny hit the stunned beast in the mouth with his flashlight.

A white light erupted from his weapon. The monster screamed in pain. When the light faded, the beast had been completely evaporated. Johnny was standing, gasping for breath. Sweat ran down his face. He started to fall but Citrine caught him.

"I guess I overdid it." He laughed.

"Dodongos are not that tough." Citrine said with a smile.

"I know…I just wanted to get this over with." He began muttering something to himself. Citrine couldn't make it out at first. Then he said. "I know just…shut up. I'm well aware it was rash." He sneered to himself.

"Are you okay?" Citrine asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Johnny said.

"He does that sometimes." Nova dropped in. "We've gotten everyone to safety." Eiess walked up and covered the hole with ice.

"That should hold them until we're able to find a more permanent fix." Eiess said.

"As I was saying…" Nova continued.

"I just like talking to myself sometimes." Johnny said. "Helps me deal with stress." He clutched his forehead. "I've seen too much today."

"We'll get you plenty of rest when we're done." Citrine said as she sat him down. Citrine could see a twinge of fear in his sparkling blue eyes. Seeing her friend, a friend she still had considerable admiration for, look so strained put a burden on her. Eiess seemed to notice this.

"Let's go." Eiess said as she laced her fingers into Citrine's. She pulled out her scroll and sent a text saying they had succeeded.

"Wait." Johnny said. "I…I think there's still another Grimm."

"We'll look for it while we get you and the others out of here." Citrine said.

"There's probably a lot of small Grimm hiding in the shadows." Nova said. "It's going to be a long time before Vale recovers." An airship appeared to get the crowd of survivors out of the area. A Black Gate appeared to extract the students.

"Wait." Johnny sat up. "I…I don't want to take the portal."

"Why?" Nova asked.

"I just…I don't think I can handle it again. Not so soon."

"What is with you?" Nova raised an eyebrow.

"It's…I'm not like you Nova. Rub it in all you want but…I can't keep this up. I…I think I'm done for a while. Take care out there. All of you." Johnny laid back down.

"We'll be sure you get to safety." Nova said as she walked off.

 **AN: See, everything is just fine. It's all going to be just fine. So, as for what's going on with Johnny Clay…it'll start to be explained pretty soon. It has to do with how his semblance works and how taxing it is on him.**


	72. House on Haunted Hill

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: This could be another brief chapter or a lengthy one. It's just a one-shot type thing that I would love to see in the real series.**

Chapter 72: House on Haunted Hill

The sun had cleared and the waters had receeded. Team CTEN were taking a much-deserved break in the slummed ruins of the Uptown Vale. The majority of the high-class houses had significant security measures already installed. So, they had been used to house refugees. But the ones on the edge of the district weren't so lucky. Between the flood, the Grimm surges, and the breach from Forever Fall, it was now a ghost town.

Eiess laid on Citrine's lap on the park bench. Officially, they were keeping an eye out for any Grimm hiding in the shadows. Unofficially, it was a date. Eiess curled up into her lover's lap and basked in her scent. On one hand, it was kind of gross sense neither of them had a chance to shower since the whole mess began. But that didn't bother Eiess. She loved the smell and feel of their rain drenched and sweaty bodies melding like this.

Eiess' fingers were tracing the hem of Citrine's skirt. Citrine's fingers moved through her hair. Eiess turned her head to meet Citrine's eyes. The team leader wasn't looking down at her, but rather looking ahead to a nearby building.

"Do you think I should cut my hair?" Eiess asked, trying to get her attention.

"Huh…why?" Citrine asked.

"I just think all this hair is a little much. I was thinking about cutting it, not too much. But like, Prof Nora's length or something."

"I wouldn't mind but it's up to you." Citrine said. Her eyes focused. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Eiess sat up. Citrine put a finger to her lips to silence Eiess. After an irritating moment of silence, Eiess heard it. It sounded like a music box. Eiess stood up and Citrine stood with her. It sounded broken, eerie and distant.

They walked hand in hand to get closer to the source of the music. It was coming from the house. As they approached the entrance they heard a child's laugh. The old house with the music gave Eiess goosebumps.

"Hello?" Citrine's voice echoed. She put her hand on the door and it creaked open. "Anyone home?" The house looked abandoned. More than that, it looked like no one had lived here for years.

"Citrine we should leave." Eiess pleaded. They heard another high-pitched and short laugh echo through the building.

"Don't be such a baby." Citrine whispered. She walked in further. Eiess chased after her. The door slammed shut. Eiess shrieked as everything went pitch black. A second later, Citrine pulled out a flash light.

"We need to leave." Eiess pleaded again. They heard another laugh. The music from before started playing again, this time louder.

"Not until we find out what that noise is." Citrine grabbed her hand. Usually, that was enough to calm Eiess down and make her heart ignite but there was something seriously off about this place.

Citrine led the way up the stairs. Every footstep caused a loud creak that was almost enough to drown out the thumping of Eiess' heart. They traced the noise to a room. As soon as the door opened, the music stopped.

"This is seriously freaky." Eiess shivered. The room was cold and filled with dolls.

"Ooh." Citrine said. She grabbed a Stunt Demon doll. "I used to have one of these when I was little."

"I remember." Eiess quickly moved closer to her friend. Her eyes went around the room. "I don't see a music box." Citrine moved to the other side of the room.

"I think this is one." She opened up a box. It looked like a music box but when she opened it, it didn't play any music. There was another creak that caused Eiess to shriek.

"I want to leave." Eiess begged.

"Stop being a baby." Citrine said. "It's probably just rats."

"That does NOT help." Eiess raised her voice. There was another laugh. Citrine set the music box back on the shelf. The laugh had come from inside the room. Citrine moved in front of a row of dolls. They looked broken and sad. The ones made of porcelain had chips missing. The ones made of cloth looked damp and raggedy. Citrine and Eiess looked closely at the dolls. Then, one of them opened its mouth and laughed.

"Gah!" Citrine smacked the doll off the shelf. There was a blood-curdling scream.

"That's it I'm done. I'm freaking done."

"No, you're not." Citrine grabbed her hand.

"This is bullshit." Eiess was at maximum panic. She ran down the stairs.

"Eiess, wait!" Citrine ran after her. When they reached the door, it wasn't there, replaced by a brick wall."

"What is this?" Eiess screamed. "The door was right here!"

"We're stuck." Citrine said.

"I can't do it Citrine!" Eiess said as she tried breaking the wall.

"I can't either." She was banging on another wall.

"What is happening?" Eiess panicked.

"I'll tell you what." Citrine grabbed her. "You can give up now or we can stick it out. Because I certainly can't do it without you. And I know you can't do it without me."

"I appreciate it." Eiess backed up. "But look what we're dealing with."

"Eiess."

"You gotta draw the line somewhere."

"Calm down."

"You have to draw a line in the sand. You gotta make a statement. You gotta look inside yourself and say, 'what am I willing to put up with today?' Not freaking this!"

"Eiess!" Citrine sounded distressed. Eiess felt a claw around her throat.

"Son of a bitch!" She jumped out of her skin, spun around and blew up everything in the immediate area.

"All calm?" Citrine asked.

"What the hell was that?" Eiess asked.

"What was what?"

"Don't start with me. I felt a hand on my throat."

"I didn't see anything."

"Citrine, I am getting out of here and you are coming with me." Eiess stormed down a hallway.

"We need to figure out what is going on." Citrine said.

"No, Citrine, this isn't an episode of Bugsy Blue. Something seriously messed up is going on here."

"Isn't your dad a detective? Where's your sense of adventure."

"Citrine I am about to piss myself. I left my sense of adventure on that park bench." Eiess said in a harsh whisper. They heard the music playing again. This time from down this hall.

Citrine led the way. The lights flickered in and out down the hall. Eiess head started getting hazy. They opened a door into a dining room. The lights were bright. Music played gently on an old radio. It was a nice elegant jazz, just like what her parents would play for her.

In the dining room, there were four people. A little girl, an older boy and their parents. They were sipping at their tea and eating some rice. Eiess didn't even think twice about it.

"Ah, we have guests." The father said.

"Hello, I'm Citrine, this is my partner Eiess."

"A pleasure to meet you." The mother said. "My name is Lenore."

"I'm Robert." The father said. "This is my son, Vincent and my daughter Annabelle."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Citrine said.

"We heard your screams." Annabelle said with a laugh. The laugh seemed familiar.

"What are you guys doing here?" Eiess asked.

"This is our home silly." Lenore said.

"The rest of it looks so run down." Eiess said.

"Well…there was that Grimm attack." Annabelle said. Her father gave her a crossed look.

"Would you like some tea?" Lenore asked.

"No thank you." Eiess said.

"Oh, but I insist." Lenore said.

"We really just want out." Eiess said.

"NO!" Robert shouted. Eiess watched as the boy looked to the ceiling and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"Are you okay?" Citrine asked.

"Citrine?" Eiess said. She felt a hand around her ankle. She shrieked as something pulled her up. The four family members dropped to the table. "Help me!" Eiess cried.

"Eiess!" The bodies shriveled up, revealing that they were just robots. All the lights went out. The furniture started floating. Eiess held her skirt up and swung wildly with her sword. Eiess was thrown to the ground and dragged away. She clawed at the floor boards to stop herself. Citrine ran around and cut the hand off.

"It's a geist." Eiess surmised.

"I know." Citrine said. Eiess channeled fire dust through her sword. With a wave of her hand she burned the furniture away. Citrine blocked the bricks and metalwork that couldn't be burned away. The four humanoids stood. Eiess was quick to hack them away.

The whole house was shaking. The geist screeched as it folded the house into itself. They needed to find the head and eliminate it. Eiess was in too much of a panic to do the calculations. This room was definitely its hand, at least one of them.

"The toy room!" Eiess guessed. They ran down the hall and started up the stairs. The stairs split apart and collapsed. Eiess used her glyphs to get them to safety. The railing wrapped around Citrine's ankle. Eiess sent another fire blast to burn it away.

The door to the toy room was gone. Citrine didn't let that get in her way. She spun around with her scythe and destroyed the entire wall. All the dolls from the room piled onto the pair. They poked and stabbed at them. They pulled at their hair trying to bring the huntresses down. Eiess used a glyph to push them all off. Cables ripped themselves free from the walls and wrapped around Eiess. She repulsed them with a glyph before they could electrocute her.

On the top of the ceiling, they could see the mask of the geist. Citrine jumped towards it only to be smacked away by the dresser. Eiess hit it with a lightning bolt. The geist screeched again. Its ghost like form hit the ground. It flew towards the wall but Eiess was faster. She sliced it away, finishing it.

"Thanks." Citrine struggled to get up. Eiess walked over to her and cradled her. This time, it was Citrine's head that rested on her lap. "My hero."

"Let's get the hell out of here." Eiess said. Citrine giggled.

"You were a lot braver after we found out it was a geist."

'Geists are just possession type Grimm. We know how to deal with them. It's real ghosts that give me the creeps."

"Still…I'm proud of you." Citrine pulled her down into a small kiss. "Come to think of it…this was where Johnny was looking when he had his little freak out."

"You think he's scared of ghosts?"

"That would be hilarious." Citrine laughed. She got back up. She ran a finger through Eiess' hair. "I think you would look cute with short hair. But maybe that's just because I go both ways." Eiess' face went red.

"Let's just…get out of here." Eiess changed the subject. "This is definitely a story to tell."

 **AN: Pretty lengthy as far as this story goes. I do want a haunted house episode. That would be a lot easier to ask for if RWBY dropped the pretense and became a 'freak of the week' show like I want. Oh well…next time the final stretch of battles for this arc begins.**


	73. Battle of the Bran

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: So, I've finally started watching the new Samurai Jack stuff. Not digging Mako's replacement but I'm digging the assassin chicks. I've only seen the first two episodes of season 5 thus far so please, no spoilers.**

Chapter 73: Ballad of the Bran

Topaz was sitting up in the headmaster's office. She had been debating how much to tell him about Arancia. The mysterious masked man had been clear that she shouldn't trust the Arbiters. Which, considering three of them had just arrived, was just bad timing.

"What do you mean it's gone?" Raven slammed her hand on the desk.

"I mean, in all this chaos someone grabbed the Eye of Truth." Qrow said. The twins stared each other down. Raven looked much more intimidating with her wild mane of hair and the fact she was flanked by August and Yang…or rather Griffon and Ursa. But they were all friends here and Topaz knew who they all were anyway. Only August bothered to keep his mask on.

"God, damn you Qrow!" Raven grabbed him by the collar. "Do you have any idea what kind of hell I put my men through to get that? Have you any idea the hell Cipher can wrought with something like that?"

"You know damn well I'm well aware." Qrow barked back. Raven set him down.

"Do you really think Cipher did all this just to get the Eye?" Topaz asked.

"Last time they did something this big it was just a dick measuring contest between Levi and my sister." Yang said.

"Touché." Topaz said.

"I've checked the stones and everything." Qrow continued. "There was no use of Redstone in the vault. And there was none of Cloak's little wormholes. The cameras picked up that someone used the elevator to get down there."

"Which means it probably wasn't Cipher." Raven said. "Unless for some asinine reason they didn't have Cloak do it."

"Cloak wouldn't know where to look anyway." Qrow said. "Schnee manor, she had to manually search for the Translation Stone." They were interrupted as a disheveled Nephrite stormed in the door.

"Has anyone seen Rosaline?" She said.

"No I haven't." Qrow answered. "I'm sure she's fine. Go back home and get some rest. You've been through enough this week." It had only been a day since Professor Ren perished during the Grimm invasion.

"I-I can't." Nephrite stammered. "She was right here I swear then I turn my back for one second and she's gone."

"She probably fell in a trash can again." Qrow said.

"You don't think I've already checked the usual places!" Nephrite was an absolute mess. Topaz put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll help you find her." Topaz said.

"There's no need." A voice said. Literally everyone spun towards the window with their weapons drawn. Cloak was standing outside the window with Rosaline in one hand. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." She smirked.

"Let her go!" Nephrite pointed her guns at Cloak.

"Or what?" Cloak mused.

"You have a lot of nerve coming here like this." Qrow scowled.

"What do you want?" August said.

"Oh my, it's a veritable family reunion." Cloak said. "Raven's Peak, one hour." She said. Her head tilted around the room. "Bring the Eye of Truth. And you know what…just for the hell of it and to make things interesting…bring the four brats who represented this school's first-year team during the Huntsmen Games. If you're late…well…Cipher has a long history of indoctrinating child soldiers."

"If you lay one hand on her…" Nephrite fumed.

"Empty threats from a spoiled brat." Cloak began to disappear. "Don't be late." And like that she was gone. Nephrite collapsed to her knees.

"It's alright Neph, we'll get her back." Topaz soothed.

"Well, Cipher doesn't have it." Qrow said.

"That leaves the question of who?" August said.

"Questions for later." Raven said.

"If we show up without the Eye of Truth there's no telling what they'll do." Qrow said.

"I suppose the other one hasn't reappeared." Topaz slipped.

"How do you know of such things?" August said.

"That's um…actually why I'm here." Topaz said.

"She was just telling me that when she was out of commission she overheard them talking about the Eye of Truth." Qrow covered for her.

"Indeed." Raven didn't seem to believe her but didn't press forward. "I guess Oscar is unavailable."

"Mistral got hit hard." Qrow responded. "He said he'll be here for the memorial…but other than that we can't expect any help from them."

"Ruby is also out of commission." Yang said.

"As is Vile." August said. "That evens the playing field regardless."

"We should still get going quickly." Nephrite said. "I…I need to tell…"

"No need to worry your mom further." Qrow said. "Topaz, get the rest of your team. Yang, get Team JANS. I'll swing by the library and pick up Ventus. We'll all meet by the Beacon Statue."

"I'll search the vault one more time." Raven said.

Ten minutes later the teams were gathered at the statue of Arthur Arc and Acacia Glens. Everybody who wasn't previously in the office were wondering what was going on. Qrow quickly explained the situation to everyone present.

"So, we're fighting Cipher." Ventus said.

"Careful kiddo. They asked for you…somewhat specifically." Qrow said. "They're expecting us. That puts us at a disadvantage."

"On top of that we have Rosaline's safety to consider." Johnny said.

"But what about the Eye?" Nephrite said.

"I think I've got it covered." Raven said. She opened a Black Gate and they all jumped through it. The feeling was familiar for Topaz. When they got out, the only one who seemed troubled from the journey was Johnny. Citrine had mentioned him having a strange reaction to the portals in the past.

It seemed to always be raining in the abandoned town of Raven's Peak. It had been unoccupied since the Grimm War. Now, it was just a hollow form of its former self. They walked up the stairs to the mansion that set on the titular cliff. The gate was flanked by a pair of Raven statues. On one of them was Dagger. On the other was Cloak.

"Not another step huntsmen." Cloak threatened. Everyone froze. From the old creaky doorway, a man stepped into the moonlight. He had white hair and red eyes.

"Salutations…my name is Avis Bran." He introduced himself. Topaz's blood ran cold.

"Impossible." Qrow said.

"I wonder about that."

"It's him." Raven confirmed. "By what trickery, I do not know."

"Mere science my prodigal daughter." Avis said. "So sad, to see my own flesh and blood taking the place of two of my rivals. No matter, I care not for altercations. So, if you would…the Eye of Truth." He extended his hands.

"Is not in our possession." Raven said as she grabbed a piece of paper from her pocket.

"Son of a bitch." Cloak cursed. "She's telling the truth."

"Hmm…so sad." Avis looked at the crowd. "At least our other demands were met. The girl…she's your sister." He was looking at Nephrite but Nephrite's heated gaze was on Dagger. "I am so sorry what happened to your father. Sacrifices must be made for the sake of progress, I always say."

"Is that what this is about? Progress." Qrow scowled.

"Well…what else would it be. I merely wanted my own slice of heaven where I could do my research without worrying about upsetting the kingdoms."

"You unleashed Grimm into the city." Citrine said.

"Ah, but remember my motto." Avis laughed. "Little Argentware. I heard your mother survived. I can see it in your eyes. Unlike…Nephrite, was it? Unlike her, you have a different fire in your eyes. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were a Seerlivey instead of a Rose."

"Give us Rosaline!" Nephrite shouted.

"How rude." Avis jolted. "Not one but two Faunas. My greatest creation, that lot. And let's see. Ah, you, with the green hair. You have red eyes which means you're a Bran too."

"She is of no concern to you." Qrow said.

"I am Ventus Grinnitch. Daughter of Qrow Branwen, Headmaster of Beacon and Octavia Grinnitch, Summer Maiden of days recent passed." Ventus boasted.

"How elegant." Avis brushed her off. "And you…you interest me." He pointed at Johnny. "You've seen it too…haven't you?"

"What's he talking about?" Nova said.

"Not sure but I have an idea." Johnny said. "Ready your semblances." Nova nodded.

"Oh." Avis clapped. "And you…you…" He was pointing excitingly at Yang. "Blonde hair, impressive physique, ursa mask and a mechanical arm. You, you're the one who inherited my power. Oh, how exciting." He licked his lips and laughed. He raised his hand ready to snap his fingers. "On second thought, that would be a waste." Avis put his hand down. "Dagger, you pick which one dies first."

"Yes, my master." Dagger pulled out a sword and pointed it at Yang. "Eenie, meanie…" He bounced it back and forth between a few of the people. "Miney moe, catch a tiger by its toe. If he hollars let him go. Eenie…meanie…miney…" He dropped down. "Moe."

"Brace." Qrow said. Topaz moved to grab her sword but was paralyzed. Everyone was frozen in place by some invisible force. Dagger rushed towards Yang with his sword extended. Nova projected a clone and it deflected the blade. Instead of piercing Yang's heart, it pierced her stomach.

"Kuso!" Nova screamed from her half failure. Dagger was too quick to block the attack outright. But then, the clone exploded in a blinding light.

"What!?" Avis shouted.

"Out from the shadows." Johnny said. Topaz heard him roll on the ground. "I bring the light." The humming sound of his weapon firing went off. "You can't hide from me."

The light faded as Johnny ran towards the shadows. There was another man hiding. Nova, Ariadne and Scott followed their leader. Johnny punched him in the face and followed up with an elbow to his stomach. Topaz recognized him from some Most Wanted files. Allister Briggs.

"You've got good eyes kid." Briggs said. His shadow bound Johnny. This time, Nova delivered a kick to his face.

"You'll find I'm full of surprises." Johnny and his team chased him down the hill towards the graveyard.

"You're going to regret not killing me when you had the chance." Yang had Dagger around the throat. Cloak flew in and kicked her in the face. August spun and fired at Cloak. Dagger broke free from Yang's grasp and swung at her. The blade was blocked by Yang's gauntlets. He reached to grab them.

"Not this time." Raven dashed in to back him off. Cloak and August darted around in the air. Qrow fired up at her. She flew around the shells and swept the headmaster off his feet. Ventus hurled rocks at the trio. Nephrite rushed towards Dagger.

"Let's go team." Citrine ran to back her up. Nephrite fired her guns at Dagger, and he blocked them casually. She tried stabbing him with her left katar. He pushed it away with his hand. She followed through with a spinning strike but her blade broke on impact. She thrust her other weapon at him and he caught it with his hand.

"Nephrite wait." Raven started. She tried to fire but her weapon blew up in her hand.

"Looks like you get to meet your father early." Dagger scourned. Nephrite hit him with a palm strike.

"I'm not through yet." She sent an elbow into his face. He grabbed it and in one swift motion broke her arm.

"Get away from her!" Topaz dropped in. Citrine and Eiess tried hitting him at range.

"Dumb kids." Raven cursed. Topaz clashed blades with him. He reached to grab her blade with his hand. He backed his hand off just in time to keep it from getting severed by Raven. Qrow jumped up behind her and fired down at Dagger.

Yang, August and Ventus were firing up at Cloak. All the while, Avis just stood there and watched. Cloak dropped in between Raven and Dagger. Qrow sliced at her with his sword. She flew up, revealing Dagger to be right behind her. Dagger and Qrow's swords clanged off each other and Raven dropped in with a blue sword and parried Dagger's next attack.

"Team CTEN, make sure Avis does not escape." Qrow said.

"Qrow and I will handle these two." Raven switched blades to a red one. Topaz nodded. If they can end it for him here…they could return as heroes.

 **AN: I was really getting into it. This is a massive multipart battle. It'll take the next three chapters will be focused entirely on this little encounter. Then things will wind down and get set up for the next arc.**


	74. Twins

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: These next three chapters, though they may be average length, are going to blow by really fast I think. I did a lot of debating on the order of events for this part of the arc. I think I got it down.**

Chapter 74: Twins

Raven swung her blade with intense speed and inhuman precision. The only thing keeping Dagger alive was all the metal spikes that lined his costume. Raven's red dust blade sparked and grinded against the assassin's armor. Raven's superior reach and power forced him to keep his distant.

Dagger thrust his sword forward. Its blade bent around. Raven was able to track its every movement thanks to the eye piece she wore beneath her mask. She flipped and spun out of the way of the winding blade. With each step, she flung a blade beam at her opponent. Dagger's guard broke from a particularly heavy beam and he flipped backwards.

She dashed forward with a moon slice as he landed. Her manipulated a spike to block it enough to save his life. The blades grinded, shooting sparks out with every clash. Raven ducked down and kicked his leg. She swung and overhand strike. He blocked by raising his sword against his back. He dropped to the ground and spun around. His spikes expanded, creating a barrier of blades.

"I'd expect no less from the leader of the Arbiters." Dagger flipped out of the way of her sword. "A true heir to my master's legacy."

"You master's legacy was forsaken when he left the Arbiters." Raven replied.

"Yet here we are. My master has achieved something no other human could dream of. He escaped death itself." Raven swung at him but he jumped out of the way and landed on one of the raven statues. August dropped down, kicking him in the face.

Cloak flew overhead, chased by Yang's volcanic punches and Qrow's shotgun shells. She flew into Dagger and they disappeared. Raven managed to track them with her eye piece. Cloak flew right at her. Raven swung in defense as Cloak appeared. The imp flew backwards. Qrow swung his sword at her. She spun away and summoned a horde of Grimm.

Qrow transformed his weapon into a scythe and cut through a lot of them. Yang and August joined in to deal with the Grimm. Cloak flew in front of Raven. She swung her blade at the hooded girl. Dagger appeared from her cloak and slashed her across the chest. Raven bit her lip as the silver blade went clean past her aura.

She took advantage of his opening to elbow him in the face. She tripped him up and raised her blade. She stabbed down at him but he was gone. Raven ducked and spun one-hundred and eighty degrees to slash at him across the stomach but he had manipulated his blade's length to pierce her shoulder.

"It'll take more than just having a Blade of Abraham to beat me." Raven said.

"You're a troublesome opponent." Dagger said. "Your subordinates were not so strong against my blade."

"You're right about that. Nemian might never be able to fight again. Which reminds me…" She dashed through a portal and swung at his leg. He summersaulted out of the way and slashed at her arm but it grinded against her prosthetic arm.

"How long can you keep this up?" Dagger taunted.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." She smirked under her mask. "My wounds have already healed." She dashed forward and swung at his neck. He blocked it with his arm-spikes. "You're a terrible assassin Dagger. Don't you know Blades of Abraham aren't meant for human flesh? They can bypass aura if you know what you're doing but the wounds heal as quickly as they came."

"But for one such as you that shouldn't be a problem." Dagger pointed his sword at her. "You've been an Arbiter for forty years. You've been around Redstone and Black Gates the entire time. Face it, there's no way you haven't become the monster yet."

"Oh, I have." Raven said. She switched to her black blade. "But something you fail to comprehend. I too, have a Blade of Abraham. And keeping her so close to my heart, has kept me from becoming a beast like you. A monster with a corrupted blade."

"A corrupted blade?" Dagger said causing Raven to laugh.

"You…you seriously don't know?" Raven kept laughing. "Let me teach you a lesson." She ran forward with a yellow blade. When she swung, sparked ran through his body, causing him to drop his sword. The next swing was aimed at his throat but was blocked by one of his spikes stretching. The impact still caused him to fall backwards.

"Damn you." He growled.

"What? Getting pissy cause you're realizing how hopeless it is to beat me. Blades of Abraham are infused with the spirit of the first hunter. No measly little troll like yourself can truly wield its power." She chased him around. "You cowardly lot kill whenever its convenient for you. Yet, you call us Arbiters monsters. Tell me how that's working for you, you slimy reptile. No, you're not that, you're a worm hiding in the bowels of the earth. Well guess what, birds eat worms."

"If you're a raven then we're hawks." Cloak dropped in. A nevermore sprung from her coat and battered Raven's torso. She stabbed it and spun around to cut its head off. Cloak dashed forward and teleported her into the air. Dagger was above her with his sword back and hand hacking at her. He was fighting harder now and even managed to get in a few blows.

"What was that about a lesson?" He said. Raven turned into a bird for a split second to get the high ground. She stabbed down on him before summoning a Black Gate. As she dashed through the other end she clashed blades with Dagger again. He disappeared and Raven was bombarded with spikes. Dagger's blades bounced around, in and out of worm holes, pulverizing Raven's aura and breaking her mask. Qrow dropped in and the twins stood back to back against the onslaught.

"Just like old times." Qrow mused.

"These two are troublesome." Raven said. "Cloak is especially annoying."

"You're telling me!" He got stabbed in the side by a spike.

"Qrow!"

"I'm fine." He spat. Dagger ran at him and reached for Qrow's sword. Raven shoved him out of the way. Cloak dropped down on both of their heads. Dagger wrapped his sword around her and pulled. The blades tore into her skin, broke her mask and dug into every part of her body.

"I call this the crown of thorns." Dagger laughed. Raven put all her power into a mighty swing. Moon dismantle was the strongest technique in her arsenal, the logical successor to moon slice. An attack inspired by her encounter with Ambrose Thurston over forty years earlier. The attack ripped through Dagger's spikes, freeing her and shattering his aura.

"That's what happens when you put your aura into your weapon." She spat. She hit the trigger on her sheath. All dozen of her blades shot out at once. Four of them were deflected. Four of them scrapped by. Four of them went into his body nicely. The other four hit his vitals. Her Blade of Abraham pierced his center and pinned him to the stone raven statue.

"Damn you." Dagger choked out. Cloak appeared next to him but seemed unfazed. She grabbed the silver sword and pulled it out of her partner.

"So this is a Blade of Abraham, young and uncorrupted." Cloak dropped it to the 's body gave off red sparks as he rose back to his feet.

"Annoying." Dagger staggered back up. Raven's eyes went wide.

"What the hell are you?" She grabbed the nearest blade, which happened to be an ice blade.

"Well...we're human if that's what you're wondering." Cloak said with glee. A bird flew behind her, Qrow appeared and shot her point blank with his shotgun, then threw his sword down to pin her. "It'll take a lot more than that." He cloak split apart and she was free. She flew in the air and crashed into a window. Dagger jumped up to join her.

"Grow this back!" Raven intercepted him and cut his hand off. He shrieked in pain as Qrow caught him in his scythe and flung him down. Cloak flew in and kicked the twins away. But Raven managed to keep hold of Dagger's discarded arm.

"You've been disarmed." Qrow smiled. Raven rolled her eyes.

"Dagger!" Cloak put his remaining arm over her shoulder.

"I can't go on." He grunted.

"You'll be fine." Cloak said. "Congratulations, you discovered just one of our secrets. But I'm not one for telling stories so piss off!" She disappeared with her partner.

"Raven...what the hell was that?"

"I wish I knew." Raven picked up part of her mask. "It looks like there's still things in this world I don't know." She heard the distinct sound of Yang's execution fist smashing into someone's sternum. "And I have a hunch Avis Bran is the only one that knows."

 **AN: I'm glad I involved Raven and Qrow. This is more or less the chapter I nearly had to delete entirely from the story. So, it replaced something ridiculous that I decided to save for a future arc. Next time: CTEN vs Avis Bran.**


	75. White Ravens

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: And I had a lot of debate whether to have this chapter or the other chapter next. I decided to have the climatic part last, which seems a bit off sense this has the Avis Bran fight but this chapter will end about halfway through for the next chapter, where this fight will end.**

Chapter 75: White Ravens

Citrine stood with her team in front of the gangly man called Avis Bran. He didn't look to be much. His hair was thick and matted. His suit impeccably stylish yet disheveled as if he hasdn't bothered washing it in ages. His eyes were red like Qrow's but there wasn't any ferocity behind them. They were disinterested, almost bored.

"It's not like I want to escape." He said. "Even if I did there's hardly anything you can do to stop me."

"Are you underestimating us?" Topaz drew her sword.

"Hmm…" He put a hand to his chin. "No. I do know better than to underestimate a group of kids. Especially since you've surely been honing your craft longer than I ever dreamed of fighting. I'm an alchemist by trade, a man of science not violence. Though, like any man from my time, I can more than hold my own when it comes to such things."

"You talk a lot." Citrine said.

"Habit born from being a teacher. I also like to hear myself talk." Avis smirked. "Tell me, little Argentware, can you use your powers yet?"

"Only when I need to." Citrine said.

"Very well." Avis said. "And you're what, eighteen?"

"That's right. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, call it a survey. I'm comparing your own progress with that of your mother, Levi and those of your kind from my time. I hypothesize that the severity of an Argentware's upbringing drastically effects the rate and potency at which they acquire that special light. Or in more scientific terms, molds them closer to the first hunter."

"So, what have you found?" Citrine said. She heard grunts and fire behind her. Grimm had been unleashed into the area by Cloak, but it was further down the hill.

"Does the situation burn you?" Avis asked. "You want to abandon your post and fight them, don't you?" His words rang true. "It's in your blood. You want to exterminate their very presence. It's more than destiny or duty it's in your DNA. That drive to slaughter the creatures of Grimm is as fundamental to your being as your eye and hair color."

"I want to be a hero that my parents before me."

"Rationalize it all you want." Avis quipped. "But just as a shark goes into a blind frenzy at the smell of blood, so too does the Argentware at the sight of the Grimm. How much pleasure did you take in slaughtering them by the dozens during the flood? How much did you feel content striking the nuckelavee in fear, to make the proteus panic with but a glance?"

"I felt..." Citrine said after a moment. "Like destiny." Avis' face lit up. "But there's more to monsters than that. Which is why...whatever you're planning...whatever you're doing...I will stop you." She got her weapon ready. Their job was just to keep him from escaping. "Now, tell us where Rosaline is."

"Come and make me." Avis said.

"Citrine, I can feel Rosaline." Nephrite whispered. "She's in the castle." Citrine nodded.

"I'll leave that to you." Citrine dashed forward. Avis snapped his fingers and Citrine crashed into the tallest part of the manor. Down below the others were rushing him. He snapped his fingers and Topaz disappeared. Then the same happened to Eiess. He raised his hand to do the same to Nephrite but she stopped his fingers. So, that was the trick. Citrine scattered and rushed at an angle behind him. He and Nephrite danced around each other. She wasn't letting up, keeping him from snapping his fingers.

Citrine slammed into him and wrapped her scythe around his neck. He stopped its progress with a dagger. He snapped his fingers, sending Nephrite away. He tried the same for Citrine but she kicked his hand. The fingers snapped and a piece of gate disappeared. Citrine was starting to figure the limitations of this power. He raised his fingers again. Citrine dashed out of the way at the last moment and was kept from teleporting.

"Figuring it out are we?" He said.

"That is a nifty semblance." Citrine admitted. "But you have to aim it with your hand. And I'd wager you can teleport something just about anywhere so long as it's within your line of sight."

"You're a clever girl."

"I get it from my dad." Citrine smirked as she started bouncing around. His eyes darted around trying to keep track of her. Citrine just needed to by time. Nephrite, wherever she got risked away to, was likely trying to reach Rosaline.

"Ah yes, I heard your father was an Arc." Avis said. "Back in my day they were just guardians of the royal family. Not much to boast but I have been informed of their more recent exploits." Citrine swung at him again. He snapped his fingers and a statue popped from across the courtyard into Citrine's chest.

"Hey asshole." Topaz's voice rang. She hovered above them with what appeared to be a large portion of water from the bay surrounding her. "Arancia sends his regards." She thrust her fist out, creating a Hippocampi.

"Who the hell is Aranciaaaaaaa?" He was hit by the water construct and sent into the air. Topaz raised her hand and squeezed her fist. The water constricted and popped.

"Serves you right." Topaz said.

"Geez, I'd hate to be that guy." Avis said.

"Huh!" Topaz spun and was stabbed in the stomach. His knife went through her aura and pierced her stomach.

"But seriously, what the hell is an Arancia?" Avis mused. Topaz dropped onto her back.

"Topaz!" Citrine said.

"Oh yeah, teleporting and magical bullshit blades." Topaz said. Her wound was quickly healing.

"A Blade of Abraham." Citrine said.

"Yes, I'm afraid against you it's only good for defense." Avis said as he tossed the dagger into the air a few times. "Now, who is this Arancia fellow?"

"Someone who wants you stopped." Topaz said.

"That doesn't narrow it down." Avis scratched his head. "I mean, that's why I'm doing this. So many people want to halt my progress well nay I say." He backed away from a volley of fireballs aimed at his feet.

"So you try to drown the world." Yang said. She stepped forward and clenched her fist.

"Ooh, so you've decided to spend quality time with your ancestor." Avis mused. "How exciting." He snapped his fingers at her. There was a pulse of red energy around Yang as she stayed put.

"Tougher to teleport something when they have Redstone, isn't it?"

"Bugger." Avid face palmed. "How my descendants relegated themselves to following Avarice's will...I'll never understand."

"My name is Yang Xiao Long! Not Branwen! I am an Arbiter so that I can always be able to protect the ones I love and be among the first to know when creeps like you decide to cause trouble."

"Alright Yang Xiao Long. Show me what you got."

Yang's hair went white and she was surrounded by energy. She dashed forward and unleashed a blow into his sternum. It was a weak execution strike, but her signature move nonetheless. Avis took the blow with a smile. He slashed at her with his knife. He cut through her aura. She connected a punch to his face. She wound up another punch but was caught in a dust glyph.

"Crap." Yang tried backing up. The color returned to her hair and her eyes turned back into lavender.

"You should have left it up to the kids." Avis taunted. "A Bran has never beaten an Argentware before after all." Yang's aura was ripped from her body. "But this power was mine to command once upon a time. Blessed White Raven, guide me when I cannot see. I wrote that poem you know." He snapped his fingers, teleporting himself and grabbing Yang by the throat. He stabbed her in the stomach.

"Like I care about your legacy." Yang spat. "We're not the only ones here capable of magic."

"Ah...I'm counting on it." Avis said. At that moment, a figure burst from the shadows and kicked him in the face. Nova now stood between Avis and Yang. Nova smiled as she cracked her knuckles.

"This is going to be so satisfying." Nova said.

 **AN: So, now that you have a little bit of Avis in action, hopefully you understand the difference between him and Salem. This is why Levi, Cloak and Dagger are going to stick around for the long haul. Hopefully you guys had fun reading this.**


	76. Supernova

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: Big chapter this time. At least when it comes to importance to the plot. This arc is wrapping up and this is the climax. Also, there's a familiar face in this chapter that hasn't actually made an appearance in this story yet.**

Chapter 76: Supernova

Nova kicked Briggs into a tombstone. His shadow coiled and turned towards her. She jumped out of the way and shot her gun at him. He backed away but was tailed by Scott's missiles. Ariadne played her flute. The weather changed and lightning began striking the ground.

"You're all quick on your feet." Briggs boasted. "Wait where's the other…"

"Blast!" Johnny blew him away point blank with his light. Briggs face planted into a grave marker. His shadow split and twirled around a statue and threw it at the group. Nova jumped over it and swung down at him. She got caught in his shadow but threw a clone at him to break the connection.

"Alright kid, fun time is over." He said. Nova punched him in the face and slammed one of her swords into his gut. "God, damn it! Phos, what the hell?" Nova was hit in the chest by a pink laser.

"Sniper." Johnny called out.

"No shit." Scott huddled behind a rock. A pink laser pierced the boulder. Ariadne played a quick couple of notes to shape the earth into a strong barrier.

"One-hundred meters." Johnny whispered. "Alright. Fifteen seconds." Another pair of beams hit the barrier. "Make that two seconds. Five clones minimum. Animals, birds."

"Johnny, what are you doing?" Ariadne said.

"One hundred meters west. Can you control the birds to swarm her?"

"On it." Ariadne closed her eyes and started whistling through her instrument.

"Nova, on the count of three, decoy canon." He said. Nova nodded in agreement. "Six o'clock." He said. Scott nodded. "One, two, three!" Nova jumped up, leaving a clone behind. Scott shot through the canon, covering the area behind her in a noxious gas. Johnny blasted his light in the area, hitting the coughing Briggs.

Nova used another clone to throw herself into the air. She grappled to the ground to dodge a beam of energy. She rocketed and zipped down the hill and up the cliff where the assailant was. She made it and punched at the purple-haired perpetrator with all her strength. The punch was blocked but then birds flew into the woman's face.

Nova swung her sword but it was blocked by the long, needle like, blade. The blade began glowing with the same pink energy the lasers had. Nova flipped out of the way of a stab and rolled away from an overhand strike. She put her swords together to block the next strike. It took all her strength to stop the one-handed swing.

She grabbed her knife with her tail and thrust it towards the woman's chest. Her tail was caught and she was tossed into the next room. As she crashed through the wall she was bombarded with pink spikes from her opponent's semblance.

"Kuso." She struggled up to her feet.

"Stay down kid." Phos said. "You're not ready for this level of combat."

"Says you!" Nova through a smoke bomb at her face. She pushed herself up with a clone, grappled onto her opponent and pulled her into an axe kick.

"You're tenacious, I'll give you that." Phos dashed around the room and fired more lasers at Nova. Nova was kept on the defensive, too occupied with dodging to mount any offense. "In fact you look familiar." She said with a devilish smile.

"I was in the Huntsmen Games." Nova boasted.

"No...not that...you're Blake Belladonna's daughter, aren't you?"

"What's it to you?" Nova jumped up and kicked herself off the wall. She used her grappling hook to change her momentum and hit Phos from the side.

"Ha, you should be grateful." She blocked Nova's kick. "You know...I was this close..." She caught Nova's leg. "To killing your mother." She blasted Nova in the leg and threw her to the floor. "It was a while before you were born." Phos kicked Nova in the ribs. Nova rolled onto her feet and sprung into a kick. Phos blasted her again and tossed her to the ground.

"You think you're the only one?" Nova spat. "It comes with the territory."

"True, but the only reason she's alive is because I was told to spare her." Phos said. "It was Levi who pulled my leash and kept me from finishing her off. But that same courtesy hasn't been extended to you."

"I'm not going to be the one to loose here!" Nova shouted. She rushed Phos again. She left clones behind to draw her fire as she closed the distance. But the room, though large as far as rooms go, wasn't open enough for her to gain full mobility. Phos blocked her next strike and threw her through a pillar.

"Do you want to know why he spared her?" Nova swallowed for she knew she shouldn't. "Avis Bran, the one who orchestrated all this. To bring him back, Cipher needed DNA samples from a full-blooded Faunas, which are in surprisingly low demand. Your mom fit the bill and was all too willing to donate some blood to the cause."

"What?" Nova's eyes went wide.

"Ironic, isn't it? In throwing her relationship with you away, to protect you...and the world...she has caused it so much ruin. Including the death of her own daughter." Nova screamed in anger. Her vision once again turned to a violet haze. Then Phos sent an energy spike through her stomach. "I wonder if she'll cry for you." Phos dropped Nova helplessly to the ground.

"Kuso." Nova whispered as she squeezed her eyes shut. "So you're saying...that I have another reason to hate her." She felt her blood come to a boil. Water from a busted pipe dripped on her skin and evaporated.

"What the hell?" Phos raised an eyebrow.

"I'm never going to let her hear the end of this." Nova felt each of her steps were heavy, but her body had never felt so light. "But if you think I care about her you're wrong. I'm going to be the hero. You're nothing but a villain, less than that even." She felt a well of power unleash from her very soul.

"No." Phos put her hand up. "No!" She sounded more distressed than anything. Nova lifted her foot and landed next to Phos. Phos punched her with a massive right hook. The blow managed to turn Nova's head. Nova wound her body and unleashed an identical right hook. Her blow sent Phos into the wall.

"Huh?" Nova looked at her hands. They didn't look any different, but they felt different. They felt on fire. Looking down at the stone floor only confirmed her suspicions. The stone floor was becoming charred and melting the longer she stood in place.

"Damn it!" Phos unleashed a barrage of energy spikes at Nova. With a wave of her hand, she caught them in midair. They fused together into one projectile and she hurled it back at Phos. Phos zoomed behind Nova and swung her blade. Nova caught it and sent a fist into Phos' chin, knocking her through the ceiling. The thin blade melted and went flaccid in Nova's grip. It was in that moment that Nova began understanding what was happening to her body.

It was as if she was using an extremely volatile dust. And with dust, came experimentation. She flexed her hands, controlling her energy to be unleashed the same way she would use a blade beam. The blast launched her sky high, through the hole Phos created, and onto the roof.

Phos snipped her with another batch of lasers. This time, Nova jetted around them and kicked Phos square in the nose. She then thrust her palm out and hit the villain in the throat. The blow hit like a grenade. Phos' jacket caught fire and her aura began flickering as hot debris latched onto her skin.

"So...this is what real power feels like." Nova looked at her hand again. Phos hit her with a beam of energy. Nova caught it and pushed it back, grabbing Phos' hand in the process and breaking the older woman's fingers.

"What are you?" Phos said. Nova punched her in the stomach. Nova didn't answer. She just punched Nova again, and again. In all this rage she hadn't even considered grabbing her swords, which were still on the floor below. She hadn't needed them. Whatever was going on, it was stronger than this would-be assassin. Nova just kept punching her in the face until she stopped resisting.

"Nova!" Johnny's voice rang. She saw a white silhouette in her field of violet vision. Johnny grabbed her hand.

"Johnny?" Nova's blood began to cool as she realized what she had done. With that realization came a sickening feeling. Her body cooled. That amazing power dwindled in her soul. Phos' lifeless body laid under her.

"It's alright." Johnny seemed to read her mind. Nova began hyperventilating for a second before vomiting. "You did what you have to do." He handed her Jumelle Buteur. "We got Briggs...you got this woman." He patted her back.

"What...Johnny what is happening to me?" A tear fell down her face.

"There's a legend, that the fires of Vacuo burns in its citizens. And that those in whom the fire burns brightest, can achieve amazing feat." He gave her a soft smile. "I always saw it in you. Like I said, you sorta get where I'm coming from."

"I do? Then why have I never heard this legend?"

"Because in the common vernacular it has a different name. The Summer Maiden." As he said that, Nova gasped. "If a Maiden, upon death, doesn't have an eligible soul in their final thoughts, it goes to someone random. Only, it's not random. The spirit of a Maiden is attracted to those who closely resemble the original maiden. That's where the fires of Vacuo come in. The original Summer built Vacuo with her own two hands. Now, that fire lives in you." Nova nodded.

"There's still one last thing to do." She grabbed her swords. "I'm going to end this."

"As much faith as I may have in you...I think this is just the beginning."

Nova blasted off. As she fell, she contemplated how Ruby used her power to fly. She tried accessing the power again. But it didn't work. Something was stopping her. For a moment she thought it was her regret at taking a life. Then she remembered a story Ruby had told her, how a Maiden's power only comes when it needs to. To access it freely requires special training. Just more reason to keep following in Ruby's footsteps.

So she landed the good ole fashion way. She landed in the shadows and kicked Avis in the face. She stood between him and Yang. She stood confidently against the Alchemist. She pointed her sword at Avis. She cracked her knuckles and smiled.

"This is going to be satisfying." She said. At that moment, Nephrite and Eiess jumped out of a window before the room exploded. Nephrite landed on the ground with a role. In her arms, was Rosaline, who was laughing like crazy.

"Well...that plotline is settled." Yang quipped.

"Well...this has been an informative day." Avis said. "I'd like to stay and tussle with you...but I know better than to challenge a Maiden and an Argentware."

"So, you know." Nova said.

"Well, Dagger did say you displayed the signature light during your brief encounter." Avis laughed.

"This is an interesting development." Cloak's words rang in Nova's recent memory. Avis snapped his fingers and was gone.

"Is it over?" Nephrite asked.

"It's over." Yang answered. "Until he decides to show his face again, there's nothing more we can do."

 **AN: Well, that was the climax of this arc. Next chapter will be the fallout of the events and the final chapter of this arc will be more of a set up for things to come. I hope you've been enjoying it. Until next time, thanks for reading.**


	77. Funeral

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: We're coming close to another hiatus. I'm looking forward to having a real break. Not one of those, oh let's write a neat little story that blows up like a terrorist chugging nitro glycerin. A real break.**

Chapter 77: Funeral

Of course, it was raining. It had been raining nonstop all week. Ever since the flood had hit the world, it had been raining. Nephrite stood in the back of Beacon's campus, the Cemetery of Heroes. Her father, as well as numerous other huntsmen and soldiers who had lost their lives, were being buried.

"Momma!" Rosaline said. The innocent little girl, despite having been kidnapped just days earlier, still didn't get what was going on. "Why are they putting Daddy in the ground?" The question caused Nora to hitch and start crying. Lánméi was already crying and Chénzi just stood there, balling his fists.

"He's gone." Nora choked back a sob.

"But he was right there." Rosaline said. "I saw him. Why are they burying him? He said he was going to take me to the movie. If they bury him he won't be able to. He's busy enough as it is."

"Shut up!" Chénzi shouted. A tear fell down his face. Nora picked Rosaline up and held her close.

"Kuso!" Nova's distinct voice rang through the crowd. As she punched the ground, a wave of energy blew through the masses.

"We've been over this." Sun said. "You can't blame yourself."

"You did all you could." Blake said. Gelb started crying in Ruby's arms.

"There, there." Ruby cradled the child. "It's alright." Jaune stood resolutely next to her, held up by a crutch. "It's not fair." Ruby said.

"Life's not fair." Jaune said sourly. "You of all people should know that."

"It's just…it seems like you and Nora are the ones always losing people." Citrine, Prim and Argent stood silently in front of them. Glade had walked closer to Nephrite.

"I…I know this isn't the best time." Glade said as he scratched the back of his neck. "I just wanted to let you know that my family…I am here for you." He looked at Rosaline. "All of you. Anything I can help you with that is. Um…" He bit his lip.

"Thanks." Nephrite said. Even if it was an empty gesture. They'd gotten plenty of them lately but knowing Glade…he was earnest.

Qrow walked up to them and put a hand on Nora's shoulder. The headmaster was dressed in his finest suit. Save for the eyepiece and chiseled chin, he looked like some of those old pictures of Ozpin, the previous headmaster.

"If you need some time off, I understand." Qrow said. "We have a couple people who have already submitted applications to take his place. I'm not hiring anyone just yet…but I already made my pick."

"Oscar?" Nora asked. Qrow nodded his head. "It's about time."

"And Blake has already volunteered to sub for you for as long as you need." Qrow said.

"I don't need…"

"Yes, you do." Qrow stopped her. "You're all like family to me. So please, spend time with yours." Nora nodded.

Music played and a twenty-one-gun salute honored those who had fallen. The rest of the proceedings carried on inside Beacon's mess hall. The mood was somber with very few people trying to lighten things up. Citrine was probably putting in the most work on that front. Ruby was too focused on supporting Nora, Jaune and the infant Gelb who was still throwing a fit.

"Geez, none of my other babies cried this much." Ruby pouted.

"You should have seen Chénzi when he was that age." Nora said.

"I did." Ruby scratched the back of her head. A makeshift band started playing to lighten the mood. Eiess played on the piano, Ariadne played flute. Eiess' family and their friends filled in some other instruments. The song was still somber and fi the mood. Weiss stepped away from her family and walked over to the Rens.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey Weiss." Ruby greeted her with a hug.

"Nora…" Weiss held out a card.

"Weiss, you don't have to." Nora shook her head.

"It's the least I can do." Weiss said. She looked at Nephrite. "I know what it's like to watch my dad die right in front of me, powerless to stop it." Weiss wrapped her arms around Nephrite. The dust mogul was a tiny person. Even in her ridiculous heels she was shorter than Nephrite.

"Thank you." Nora said.

"It's alright." Weiss said as she broke the hug. "I might not be able to be there as any kind of emotional help. But if you ever have a problem money can solve…well…it's nice to feel like all those long hours in the office are worth it."

"It's not like you live a lavish lifestyle." Ruby wrapped an arm around her partner. "You basically supply your own utilities. You only have a few workers at your house. You live in the office half the time. You spend all those untold billions on food, drinks and charity anyway."

"Well…it comes with the territory I guess." Weiss said. "Take care." She walked off.

More and more people lined up to give them their condolences. It was getting irritating. All these people, after everything that had happened to the city, were showing empty gestures of pity to the Rens. None of these people really knew what he was like. None of them understood him like his family and closest friends did. He was more than just a huntsman, teacher, father and husband. He was a friend too.

Yet, everyone just wished the kids and Nora condolences. They basically ignored Jaune, who had lost his sword and ability to use his leg properly. They didn't thank Ruby for taking on Levi and nearly losing her life. They didn't give thanks to anybody who kept things from getting worse. Maybe that day would come later. This was a funeral after all. It was the first-time Nephrite had been in this situation.

After about an hour, people started filing out and going their separate ways. There was clean up to be done and lives to get back to. Despite whatever heroics the students may have displayed they were still students. So, they still had all the responsibilities that came with that position.

"Neph." Topaz whispered into her ear. "Come over here." Topaz grabbed her arm and dragged her over to the rest of the team. Citrine was pulling Eiess away from the piano and Johnny walked over with a plate full of cupcakes.

"What's going on?" Nephrite asked.

"I know this isn't the best time, but I have something we need to discuss." Topaz said. "That Avis Bran guy is still out there and so are his two cronies."

"Three." Citrine corrected. "There's also Levi Seerlivey and only my mom can stop him."

"We're not going to stop them." Topaz said.

"Who put you in charge?" Citrine hissed.

"Just, let me finish. We can't stop them. Not yet. We're not strong enough. We should leave that part up to the huntsmen. But we can hit them where it hurts."

"How so?" Eiess asked.

"Well…during the flood I…" Topaz audibly swallowed. "I got hit really bad. I…I almost died. But I was saved by some weirdo named Arancia. He told me that Avis is after something called the four relics. Right now, he's got none of them. We had half a relic here, but it was stolen by someone else."

"So, we need to find these relics." Johnny said.

"I've already talked about it with Qrow." Topaz said. "He's going to let us all go on this mission…with some chaperone's of course."

"Who?" Johnny asked.

"Ruby, Yang and August." Topaz said.

"Those are some heavy hitters." Johnny said.

"It's a good counter to those we've fought before." Citrine said.

"They'll be after the same relics without a doubt." Eiess said.

"When do we leave?" Nephrite asked.

"As soon as the semester ends." Topaz said.

"Well then, I take it we'll spend out free time figuring out where to go." Citrine said.

"That's the plan." Topaz said. "Nephrite…if you don't want to go, I understand."

"I do…I just…well, we still have a while." Nephrite said. "I just feel terrible about leaving my family."

"It was bound to happen eventually." Johnny said.

"This is that change you wanted." Citrine said. Her words made Nephrite's blood run cold. "It's just terrible that it had to come like this."

 **AN: And thus concludes this adventure for the next Generation. This is where Billy Mays, may he rest in peace, would come in and say "But wait, there's more." Yeah we still have one more chapter in The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea and I think you'll all be pleasantly amused with the particulars of what happens.**


	78. Slice of Heaven

The Shattered Moon and the Shallow Sea

 **AN: Well…this arc has been fun. I like it more than the previous two arcs and hopefully next arc is even better. But let's get down to it.**

Chapter 78: Slice of Heaven

Cinder was doing pullups on a bar in her cell. She had been residing in this hole ever since the Isle of Storm's prison was wrecked by Cipher. It was hospitable, much more so than her prior cell. Raven was a much better host too. Cinder had access to a deafening amount of privacy and all the utilities a girl like her could ask for.

The aura suppression collar was a constant nuisance. But Cinder had been wearing one non-stop for over twenty years now. That's nearly half her life without being able to project her powers. She had gotten used to all the measures Raven took when she decided Cinder's fate was to rot in the hole beneath Arbiter Academy.

After doing as many pullups as she could, she fell to her knees and panted. She walked over to her mini fridge and pulled out an energy drink. The sweet, wild berry, liquid soothed her throat. She chugged the whole bottle down and tossed it into the waste bin.

Then she went to her bathroom and looked in the mirror. It wasn't a glass mirror, but it reflected her visage enough. She popped her eye patch off and rubbed ointment on her scarred face. When he decided to take a shot at Ruby, Vile came to Isle of Storms and wrecked the prison. While there, he made sure Cinder wouldn't be able to get in his way. Due to the nature of his weapon, the Sword of Damocles, Cinder was never able to fully recover. Her face, the whole left side of her body, was scarred.

"How long are you going to waste away in here?" The image in the mirror said. Cinder pictured her younger self. The Cinder Fall that lit the world on fire. The Cinder Fall that struck fear and dread in the hearts of all those who clung to hope. The Cinder Fall who liked to think of herself as a goddess in training, pushing the heroes further than they could have gone otherwise.

"My role is done." Cinder said out loud. It had taken over a year to be able to talk right. Vile had damaged her throat in his torture session. Ever since, it failed to be as smooth and soothing as it had in the past. Now, every word was bitter and raspy.

"The world is in chaos again." The specter said. Cinder had seen the news. Flood waters hitting the kingdoms. Grimm running wild in the streets. "It was him."

"He's Ruby's issue, not mine."

"He's the one who did this to you!"

"And? Ruby has beaten him before and she'll continue to do so until he is completely broken."

"Like you?"

"I am not broken!"

"Look at yourself!" Cinder did what her inner voice said. "Ruby and Vile made you this way. Now, he threatens to undo all the work we did to pave the world. He threatens to undo everything Ruby did with the soil we fertilized. Don't you want to settle the score?"

"I can't!" Cinder punched her reflection. The image distorted.

"You are STILL the Fall Maiden." Her inner voice said.

Cinder stripped her clothes and jumped in the shower. The running water drowned out all the conflict that had been ringing in her head for the last few days. It was so much easier when Cinder would watch TV and see that dreamy landscape that formed after the war. That idealistic society she always dreamed of creating and ruling was up there, forever out of reach. But Cinder was content just watching it from below like some artful devil.

After stepping from the shower and putting her clothes back on, she jumped into her bed and turned on some music. Music also helped keep the existential dread at bay. She hated feeling powerless. At least when the world was at peace she could pretend she was just an observer. She could pretend there was no need to intervene.

There was a loud knock on her door. Then it opened. Cinder was expecting Raven or another Arbiter. She had heard whispers that if the huntsmen got desperate, they would take the power of Fall away from her and give it to another. Cinder dreaded that moment.

But what happened was unexpected. Emerald and Mercury stepped in. Emerald had stayed in touch with Cinder throughout the years. Even if they had to use the Arbiters as messengers. Still, what they could be doing here was a mystery.

"Cinder." Emerald wrapped her arms around her.

"What are you doing here?" Cinder asked.

"Have you heard what's happening?" Mercury asked.

"Yes." Cinder answered.

"Well, come on. We're getting you out of here." Emerald grabbed her hand. Cinder hesitated.

"To what end?" Cinder asked.

"Those floods, the way they happened, it could only be from something large hitting the ocean." Mercury said.

"Whatever Cipher was after, they got it." Emerald said.

"According to Watts, they dropped a piece of the moon in the ocean and are using that as a sanctuary." Mercury added.

"And on our way here we found out why." Emerald said. "What do you know about Avis Bran?"

"A lot." Cinder answered. "I read all his works and listened to all his recordings when I was a little girl."

"Well, he's back." Emerald said.

"Slice of heaven." Cinder whispered, remembering something Avis said in his final journal. The thought ignited a spark of anger in the Maiden.

"We thought it was an opportune time to come back." Emerald dug into her bag. "To finally get our own happily ever after, as one big family." She pulled out the Eye of Truth.

"Where did you…?"

"There were two of them." Emerald said. "The one Salem had is still…wherever she goes when she dies. This is the other one." She handed it to Cinder. Cinder could feel its power, the knowledge of the world. And it brought a smile to her face.

"This does change things." She said. "Cipher wants to live in peace? A peace they did nothing to achieve! Vile still wants to kill Ruby out of some, misplaced sense of pride. To hell with them. We paved the way. We put in the work. Ruby is MY rival."

"So, what do we do?"

"First, we hit them where it hurts."

"We're joining the huntsmen?" Emerald asked.

"Good heavens no. They wouldn't accept our help even if I offered it. But we shouldn't make things harder on them. So, we'll focus on Cipher."

"Word, is they have that Merlot guy building androids for them." Mercury said.

"Androids huh…this interests me. I quite admire that Polendina woman's tenacity and agelessness. Surprising to no one, I quite fancy the idea of immortality." Cinder said.

"So, we do all this…" Emerald cut in. "To what end."

"Just as you said, the happy ending we deserve. We're just as responsible for the world that Ruby built as anyone."

"Speaking of Red, you going to settle the score with her?" Mercury asked.

"In a manner of speaking." Cinder answered. "I'd love to fight her again. But I never want to see her die. Just…yeah, settle the score. Beat her, maybe make a fun game out of who can beat who the most."

"Alright, now that that's settled." Mercury said. "Shall we begin?"

"In a moment, Mercury." Cinder said. "Who all do we have in our contacts?"

"The two of us, Neo, Watts, Hazel Rainart, our son of course…of, your son, Ashford Fall." Emerald listed off.

"Excellent." Cinder said.

"We managed to get him away from Cipher during our most recent stint in prison." Mercury said. "Same day we actually swiped that Eye of Truth right out from under Qrow's nose."

"Hmm…we'll need someone who can find what we're looking for." Cinder said. "Someone who can go toe-to-toe with the best of them and track down either Merlot or this new continent that we're going to conquer once Cipher is in ashes."

"I can think of a few." Mercury said.

"No need." Cinder said. "There's someone here who fits the bill." Cinder walked out of her cell. "Fair warning…he can be a bit unpleasant." She held the Eye of Truth tightly.

"Well, if he's a friend of yours…" Emerald shrugged. Cinder led the way down the hall to the second most secure cell in this hole.

"It's time we find our slice of heaven." Cinder said. Maniacal laughter echoed from the other side of the door. Of course, there'd be laughing. It was the cell of Tyrian Callows after all.

 **AN: Coming soon to RWBYond: Generations**

 **Nova's sword clashes against a metal weapon. She darts around her opponent, a dark-skinned man using a giant boomerang. He blocks her every strike.**

 **Lithium: Come, Summer Maiden, you'll have to do better than that.**

 **Lithium jumps back and throws his boomerang.**

 **Team CTEN and JANS stand on a ship heading towards a mountain.**

 **A ninja looking kid trains with Penny.**

 **Deus, Cero, Verdant, Tetsu, Ventus, Akhdir and Ramil stand side by side.**

 **Ruby trains with Citrine and Nova.**

 **Prim holds a sword up in the air.**

 **Yang trains with Nephrite and Eiess.**

 **Glade pumps his spear into the air.**

 **The members of Cipher stand with a large computer at their back. Avis snaps his fingers.**

 **Androids start filing out of the machine. Skin-toned paint is sprayed onto them individually.**

 **Nephrite unleashes a palm strike on an android.**

 **Eiess surrounds herself in glyphs.**

 **Topaz surrounds herself in water.**

 **Citrine's eyes glow silver.**

 **Ventus uses her telekinesis on a crate.**

 **Deus' body sparks with lightning.**

 **Verdant blocks a punch from a mech.**

 **Ramil and Eiess activate their powers.**

 **Johnny unleashes a beam of light.**

 **Nova's eyes glow violet.**

 **Lithium's eyes glow red for a second.**

 **Johnny: I am not a spectator, I am a warrior.**

 **August punches a golden-haired android in the stomach and kicks him in the face.**

 **Tyrian drops down and stabs his tail at August.**

 **The ninja from earlier drops down on an ice-golem Grimm and Yang blasts it into pieces.**

 **Citrine wipes blood from her mouth and dashes towards a silvery android.**

 **Nova screams as the power of Summer is unleashed. She cuts Lithium's boomerang in half but it just forms swords to keep blocking her. A cruel smile crosses his face.**

 **Ruby: There's more of us then them.**

 **Verdant: I will not be the one who loses here today.**

 **Merlot: Your puny human bodies will slow down and wither eventually.**

 **Eiess: I refuse to believe…that we are limited by biology.**

 **Eiess summons a helmasaur and crushes an opponent.**

 **Qrow blocks an attack from Tyrian.**

 **Merlot: Would you like to put that to the test?**

 **Violet energy surrounds Nova as she goes for one last attack.**


	79. Age of Iron

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: I'm back and man that was a great break. Finals are done, Guardians of Terra has two more chapters, I did my very first one-shot for RWBY and now, let us begin this arc. This is probably going to push the most amount of characters in varying directions as their motives and wills are tested.**

Chapter 79: Age of Iron

Levi sat slumped against the wall. The room was filled with so much neon blue it made his eyes hurt. This was the heart of the island. In days long past, this was a testing ground. It was remote enough to not cause damage but close enough to the coast of Vale to be easily maintained. But ever since the Grimm War, it had been abandoned. The lab had been destroyed in the days before the war began and then it was desolate.

But in the days after the war, someone had moved in. Dr. Merlot had quite the talent for avoiding the claws of fate. His semblance allowed him to transfer his consciousness into anything, even a computer.

"Mr. Seerlivey." Merlot said over the monitor. He had infected the entire computer system on the island. "The factory is running at full capacity."

"Alright." Levi stood back up. His eyes darted to the only other humanoid figure in the room. "If the huntsmen find out you're back here making machines, they'll come for you."

"Your concern has been duly noted." Merlot spoke through the computer.

"You promised us an army." Levi said.

"And an army you shall receive. For the glory of Cipher and all that." The giant red glass eye blinked on the computer as Merlot spoke. "Perhaps you would like a demonstration." The other man in the room stood straight.

"Hmm…" Levi shook his head. "No matter how impressive your little tin soldiers might be…challenging me to a trivial game will only embarrass them."

"Lithium was designed with a singular purpose." Merlot said.

"Lithium huh?" Levi never cared to learn this android's name.

"Lithium Batonrey." Lithium said.

"Isn't that quaint? It thinks it deserves a last name."

"Hey, I was human once!" Lithium walked closer to Levi's face. He was obviously sizing the Cipher Commander up.

"Lithium here was designed to be a Maiden Buster." Merlot said.

"Explains the markings." Levi said. Lithium was a male android with chocolate-colored skin and black marking on his body.

"You need him, us, more than he needs you." Merlot said. "We, the Tomorrow People, along with Cipher will push humanity to new technological heights at any cost."

"That is your plan, isn't it?" Lithium said.

"My purpose…is to show the Rose family for the fools they are." Levi said. "If not for Jaune Arc, Ruby Rose would have died at my hand."

"And without Cloak you would have died at hers." Lithium smirked. Levi's nostrils flared in aggression.

"And without either of them you would have killed each other." Merlot said.

"You're just not good enough to beat a…" Lithium was cut off when Levi clutched his throat. "No windpipe." Lithium laughed. "You can't choke what doesn't breathe."

"Ruby Rose is so much more than you give her credit for." Levi growled. "Take away her magic powers, and she'd still rip every last one of you to pieces." Levi dropped him. "I'm one of precious few that's even on her level."

"You can continue your rivalry with Mrs. Rose whenever you like." Merlot said. "But it is not one Maiden. All four are set against you. The Spring Maiden is your rival. The Summer Maiden has recently manifested her powers. The Winter Maiden is the right hand of Headmistress Winter Schnee. And the Fall Maiden…as you informed me…has escaped from her prison. I wonder how long until she comes for you."

"Cinder Fall is not involved in this conflict." Levi stated.

"Still, it's a race against the huntsmen for the relics Avis Bran desires." Merlot scowled.

"Speaking of which, where is the old bird?" Lithium asked.

"He is decorating his slice of heaven if I guess right." Merlot said. Levi nodded.

"He wanted it to be a sanctuary where men are unbound by petty morality." Levi shook his head. "As for the relics…I'll be doing my own digging."

"My Tomorrow People, on top of providing security for my island, and the sanctuary of Avis Bran…will hunt down the relics." Merlot said. "Lithium will be leading the charge."

"Magnese, Titan, and Hydra will be accompanying me." Lithium said.

"Aurum is already taking his sister Argentum, along with Wolfram and Plum." Merlot said.

"Self-righteous…" Lithium started. "Well, if he gets himself killed that's on him."

"There's plenty others that'll be on the hunt." Merlot said. "But you have a special way of making sure that the huntsmen don't whisk the relics away to Vale or the other kingdoms."

"They have a head start since it was Ozpin who hid the relics." Levi said.

"I understand, you want me to tail them."

"Your is advantageous in this position." Merlot said. "I know you'll do well. And should you come to blows with the Summer Maiden…do what you were designed to do."

"Yes, Doctor Merlot." Lithium gave a bow and headed out.

"Do you think any of them have a chance?" Levi said.

"My machines are aptly named." Merlot defended. "They…not the offspring of heroes…are the future. Soon…we will live in an age of iron."

"We'll see." Levi walked away. Merlot was a fool if he thought his tin soldiers could overthrow the world. But it didn't matter, they were a means to an end. A distraction meant to divide the huntsmen's attention while the relics are secured.

"Levi…" Merlot said over one of the hallway monitors. "If you would be so inclined to stay here, I would certainly like the extra security."

"No deal. As I said, I have my own work to do. Now that your factory is running at full capacity, I'm no longer needed here." Levi kept walking through the factory. Androids of all shapes and sizes were being put together and given a flesh-coated paint job.

"Pardon me but I have my reservations about being so close to Vale without someone of your caliber."

"Weren't you just saying we're entering an age of iron?"

"You're hardly a relic of the past. Quite the opposite in fact." Merlot flattered. Levi's nostrils flared again.

"Have fun playing with your toys." Levi responded after a beat. He opened up a Black Gate and left the island. There were a lot of pieces moving around Remnant. In such chaotic times, it was important to keep his eyes on the prize.

 **AN: And onward to new adventures. After outlining this arc, I realized how similar it was to the Dead and the Damned from RWBYond Vale. Took me a while trying to work in deeper character arcs here than were in my previous works.**


	80. Adventure of the High Seas

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: Trying to get back in the swing of things for this story. I'm officially in Summer now but today is a very busy day for me still…mostly I want to finally get around to recording my next video. As I put more emphasis on my YouTube stuff, don't be surprised if there's a few days when a chapter doesn't come out.**

Chapter 80: Adventure on the High Seas

The weather was pretty unforgiving this time of year. Winter had completely set in. It had been several months since the flood nearly took the world by storm. Since then, the gang had been doing their research, getting stronger and stronger in preparation for what came next. This was Topaz's mission. Arancia had chosen her to find the relics before Avis Bran had.

Topaz sat at the helm whistling a chanty tune. Most of the crew were below deck. Scotland in particular had been doing everything he could to not lose his nerve. There was something about the sea that filled him with dread and sickness. Topaz didn't even try to understand. The sea was her home and strongest alley.

"We'll be approaching Solitas pretty soon." Ruby said. This may have been Topaz's ship but Ruby was the de facto leader. In their research, they had discovered a few islands that were on the ancient maps, but not the current ones. They were heading to Solitas, where they would set up a base of operations in a research facility. There, they can safely send expeditions and scouts to find which of the cluster of islands was the right one.

"Have you ever been to this research facility?" Citrine asked as she looked at Eiess.

"No I haven't." Eiess answered. "It's very remote and only the best scientists and huntsmen are allowed to go."

"I see." Citrine said. "Well, it'll be pretty cool." She said with a smile.

"Did you just…" Eiess was cut off when Citrine poked her in the stomach and started tickling her.

Topaz smiled at the couple's antics. Back at Beacon, it had been Eiess that was on edge and Citrine was the one to break the tension. Nowadays, Citrine was on edge to and it was Eiess to warm her up.

"So, how long until we get there?" Citrine asked.

"Sometime tomorrow morning." Ruby said.

"So, I guess no training today?" Citrine said.

"Yeah, but I don't think I can stop Nova." Both Roses eyes went up to the crow's nest where Nova was standing with August practicing her magic. Purple flames danced in her hands as she fought for control over her power.

"Let's just hope she doesn't burn herself out." Citrine said.

"I heard that!" Nova shouted.

"How?" Citrine was aghast. Nova dropped down with a heavy thud in front of her.

"I don't need you looking out for me Citrine." Nova said.

"I'm not looking out for you." Citrine defended. "You're just always up there practicing."

"We don't have the luxury of taking things slow." Nova snapped back.

"You're right." Eiess said. "You just have a…history with overdoing it. She meant no offense." Nova didn't dignify that with a response. Citrine gave a halfhearted smile.

"I guess we're all on edge." Ruby cut in. "So, how's the flying coming along?" Nova crossed her arms. "That bad huh?"

"Flying's cool and all…but I don't think it's for me." Nova admitted.

"How come?" Ruby asked.

"My whole fighting style is reliant on my keen footwork, balance, gravity, all that stuff. That's all stuff the flying just sort of…gets in the way of."

"Well, you don't have to use it for combat." Ruby said. "I usually just do it in conjunction with my semblance. That way I can fly farther and faster without worrying about gravity."

"Yeah, I guess that's smart." Nova said.

"Here, hold out your hand." Ruby said.

"Why?" Nova inquired.

"I'm going to give you a tip."

"Alright." Nova held out her hand.

"You can control all four elements without using dust." Ruby looked at Topaz. "Topaz and her family can manipulate water into constructs. I've seen this same thing done using maiden magic but…I could never get the hang of it. So, I just use it with my semblance to turn rose petals into projectiles."

"But since my semblance creates something more complex…" Nova was following her logic. Topaz was listening in and had a good idea where Ruby was going with this.

"You could use your magic to create constructs." Ruby said. "I think it'll suit your style a bit more. Practice by manipulating your fire around the swords."

"I get it." Nova said. "Because I'm the Summer Maiden, fire is my specialty and melting is my unique trait."

"And with your talents, combining them with your weapons should be easy." Ruby smiled. "My specialty is earth, which is the hardest element to properly mold. And my unique trait is life which requires something to manipulate."

"Here we go." Nova gathered the purple flames in her hands. She grabbed her swords. The fire danced around the dark blades like fairies dancing in a pond.

"Maybe while we're in the area you can learn from a true master of magic." Ruby said.

"Who would that be?" Nova asked.

"Ebony Sterling." A voice cut through the air. Johnny Clay stepped forward on deck. "The Winter Maiden. We've seen her around a few times now."

"That's right." Eiess said.

"Winter Maiden…is she stronger than you?" Nova asked.

"Hmm…" Ruby put a finger to her lips. "Probably not. I have a lot more combat experience than her. She's also a bit younger than me. Plus, my semblance lends itself to magic more than hers. But…she has quite a talent for glyphs." Ruby looked at Eiess.

"Must be because my aunt helped train her." Eiess said.

"Ha, she did more than that." Ruby said. "But, Ebony is one of the few people I've seen create complex humanoid constructs without it being a natural part of their powers."

"Who are the others?" Topaz asked.

"All these questions." Ruby said. "Jaune, Levi, Cinder Fall, Salem and Ebony." She listed off. "The Schnees, the Azuls, Velvet Scarlatina, and the handful of people with clone semblances can do stuff like that too but it's more natural with the nature of their powers."

"You're getting close to mastering these powers." Johnny complimented.

"Yeah." Nova smirked. "Scared that if we fight again I'll win?" She tried goading him.

"Not at all. Every Maiden needs friends and I'm more than happy to stand by your side should the time come."

"Don't patronize me." Nova pouted.

"Johnny." Topaz called. Johnny jumped up to the quarter deck.

"Yes." He asked.

"There's something I've been curious about." Topaz said. "And your attitude towards Nova has reminded me of that."

"What is it?" He said.

"Where do you come from? What's your story?"

"Why do you ask?" Johnny's voice dropped to a lower register.

"You don't seem surprised by any of this. When we found out Nova was a Maiden, you didn't even flinch. You know a lot more than you let on, you seem to know everything that has come our way in fact."

"What are you getting at?"

"Answer my question." Topaz said. "How do you know about all this stuff. You're the one that found all those old maps. You've never been caught off guard or surprised by anything. Are you…are you psychic."

"Psychic?" Johnny laughed. "No, I can't see the future."

"Between the two of us…do you know Arancia?"

"No." Johnny said after a minute. "I do not. But that doesn't matter. Whoever he is he wants us to edge out Avis, so he's fine by me."

"My thoughts exactly." Topaz smiled. "So…you and Nova…" She poked fun at him.

"It won't happen." Johnny rolled his eyes. "Besides…I don't think I like her like that and I know she doesn't like me."

"She does more than you know." Topaz noted. Johnny shrugged in response.

"How's Nephrite holding up?" He asked.

"She's…her powers are still on the fritz." Topaz said. "Ever since her dad died she hasn't been able to control her power as much." Johnny sighed.

"Hopefully she'll work past it." Johnny said.

"Like how I wish Scot would work past his sea sickness."

"It's more than just sickness." Johnny said.

"I know but still." Topaz sighed. "At least we'll be touching dry land pretty soon."

"I'm kind of excited. I've never been this far away from Vale before."

"It's pretty cool." Topaz smirked.

"Everyone with their ice puns." Johnny rolled his eyes.

"It's easy comedy." Topaz said.

"Well, I'm going to leave you be now." Johnny said.

"Alright." Topaz said as Johnny walked away. "One of these days I'm going to figure out what's going on in that head of yours Johnny Clay." She said to herself.

 **AN: Believe me, I will take the piss out of shippers whenever I can. So, what dangers await them in this arc? The Shadow knows, muahahahaha.**


	81. Glacier Valley

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: This chapter has an interesting bit in it. I decided to go a certain route with this part, but I fear I may have spoiled it with the preview. Anyway, onward to adventure.**

Chapter 81: Glacier Valley

The ship touched down in the glacier field of Eastern Solitas. Much to the relief to many of the party members. Scott was the first one off the ship, face planting into the ice. Ruby and Citrine were the next to drop down. Citrine looked around the blindingly white valley lined with ice pillars.

"So, cold…" Scott shivered through frozen tears of joy.

"Don't be such a baby." Nova said as she touched down. Though her body was shivering too. "Kuso." She said, a plume of frozen breath left her mouth.

"I warned you it would be cold." Yang said. She passed a black jacket and purple scarf to the younger girl.

The whole group was decked out in winter wear. Citrine and Ruby's outfits didn't change much, aside from thicker pants and gloves. Citrine's eyes wandered over Eiess in her winter coat and the orange scarf she had made herself. Eiess got within inches of Citrine and laced their gloved fingers together.

Nephrite was the last one off the ship and wearing an outfit with a design that looked more like her father's. The same distant look that had been on her face since the day he died was clouding her vision.

Johnny looked dashing in his coat and scarf. Ariadne looked like a marshmallow in her puffy white coat. And Topaz, looked like her normal self, just with a thick sweater on instead of her usual shirt.

"It's this way." Ruby said. "Watch your step, wouldn't want to slip on the ice."

"Wish someone would have come here to pick us up." Eiess pouted. Her boots were being carefully placed on the ground. She then created glyphs to keep her balance.

"At least you're not wearing heels." Citrine quipped.

The group continued to trek through the ice. Citrine decided to lean on Eiess and utilize her glyphs for support. Ariadne and Topaz both glided across the ice with ease. Nova stomped around, melting it.

"Well, that's one way through." Yang noted.

"Stupid ice." Nova's power coursed around her body, melting the ice at every turn.

"You're going to burn through your power like that." Johnny stated.

"Take this!" She shouted at the ice as she cast a radiant fireball forward. She ran forward along the thawed rock. But a minute later it refroze, causing Nova to slip and fall. "Kuso." She murmered.

"It's too cold for childish games." August noted as he took flight.

"But you're the one flying!" Topaz said.

"Consider this a test, get through the glacier field." August said. The sound of gears shifting echoed around. "Young Mr. Yard has the right idea."

"Never has such a ridiculous weapon been so handy." Scott said with a smile as his battle chair hovered along the ground.

Citrine stayed with Eiess on her glyphs as everyone else found their own way. It was interesting seeing how everyone proceeded. Granted, people like Nephrite and Ariadne who had natural balance didn't need their semblances or weapons to get through.

They continued like this until they got into a clearing. The clearing was dotted with ice sheaths. It continued into a cliffside in the distance where a large manmade structure sat. That must be the research facility. As soon as they stepped into the clearing the sound of music played in the distance.

"Is that a harp?" Scott asked.

"No you idiot it's a lyre." Ariadne groaned.

"Who are you calling a liar?"

"L-Y-R-E…Scotland." Ariadne face palmed.

The ground shook beneath their feet. The ice pillars rose and slammed together. An army of ice golems stood in their way. Everyone got into combat stances. Then, Ruby put her scythe away. Everyone looked at her.

"Well kids…show us what you got." Ruby said.

"You've got to be…" Topaz started. A golem through an ice chunk at her. She cut it in half. Citrine blocked an incoming chunk with her shield. Eiess caught the chunk with a glyph and launched it back. Nova unleashed a fireball, turning on into water. A geist flew in the air and was blasted by Johnny's light.

"Geists?" Eiess said shakenly. She darted around as the monsters swung their limbs around. Citrine unfurled her scythe and flung Nephrite into one. She kicked it in the face and as it fell to the ground she spun in the air firing down on it. Eiess cast a series of glyphs so Citrine could launch herself and block the counterattack heading towards Nephrite. Citrine intercepted the attack and was knocked right next to her mom. A geist was right next to them and moved to attack Ruby. Ruby's eyes glowed white, causing the monster to back pedal.

"That's what I thought." Ruby said. She fired her gun, unleashing a massive fiery blast that destroyed the golem. Then Yang took out the geist with a rocket punch. "This would be a good time to use your power." Ruby advised her daughter.

"Right." Citrine nodded. Topaz gathered water around her sword. She used it like a whip to extend her attacks and cut through the ice. Eiess hit one with a blast of fire dust. Nephrite finished it off with a barrage of bullets.

Nova blasted a large one's arm off. Johnny and Scott used the opportunity to destroy the body. As the Geist flew into the air, Ariadne played her flute, manipulating the wind to eviscerate the Grimm.

Citrine jumped into the air and ignited her powers. She had gotten better at controlling them since the flood. She paralyzed one but a second smashed into her. Citrine used her scythe to stop her sliding. She jumped onto her weapon and used it to pivot around a punch and slice into the icy arm.

"Citrine!" Eiess unleashed a summoning of a griffon to tackle the monster. Topaz jumped onto the summoning with her spear fully extended. She rode it into battle and pierced a geist through the face. Nova slid around a nearby Geist and used her grappling hook to trip it. She then summoned an acidic purple sphere in her hand.

"Melt!" She called. The geist hissed in pain as it was quickly evaporated. "Aren't you supposed to be some divine Grimm slayer?" She pointed at Citrine.

"Get off my case Nova." Citrine scowled.

Yang had decided to pitch in and destroy a geist or two. There were so many. Citrine knew they could do this. If nothing else, her mother was there and could destroy all these Grimm if she wanted to.

Nephrite slid around, firing at a large geist. Another came out of nowhere and slammed into her. Citrine ran to block one of their strikes but couldn't make it to block both. Nephrite was struggling to get up, unable to dodge the next attack.

Then, out of nowhere, someone landed on the geist and slammed a sword into its head. He looked young, probably around their age. He wore navy blue pants, a grey sweater with navy blue sleeves and a red eye emblem on his chest. His hair was orange and tied up into a knot. He wore a face mask covering his mouth and nose. He also wore a silvery scarf.

"Who are you?" Citrine asked as she shrugged off a punch. Yang swooped in and destroyed both geists with a fiery punch that leveled the area. The geists flew into the air. The ninja kid dropped down lightly, and flung his sword. Shuriken were flung from the blade, revealing the sword to have a hollow center. The shuriken wrapped around the pair of geists, killing them.

"Thanks for the assist." Nephrite said as she brushed herself off. The kid stayed silent for a moment. It looked like the Grimm had been cleared.

"Don't thank me." He said. The shuriken returned to the blade. He then sheathed the sword.

"But that's a pretty cool weapon." Citrine complimented.

"Thanks." He said.

"So, who are you? Are you from the research facility?"

"I'm…I'm not allowed to say." He said shyly. "I just came here to play my lyre in peace. I…I didn't know there were so many Grimm, or that so many huntsmen were in the area."

"Well, now you do." Citrine said. "Come with us."

"I-I can't. I need to get back. I'm sorry." He disappeared in an instant.

"Wait, at least tell us your name!" Citrine reached out but there was no sign of him. "Nephrite can you see him?"

"If he wanted to be followed, he would have let us follow." Nephrite reasoned. A sad look crossed her face again. "I couldn't feel them. I should have seen…"

"Stop." Citrine said. "It's no use to beat yourself up because you made a mistake." Nephrite's face betrayed her. She didn't agree but didn't want to argue with the team leader.

"Well, that was fun." Yang said.

"Yeah…but who was that guy?" Citrine wondered.

 **AN: The mysterious ninja kid. How to implement him was one of the greatest challenges when outlining this arc. Yes, the ninja kid has a name, but that'll be shown later.**


	82. Blackwater Labs

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: This chapter has an interesting bit in it. I decided to go a certain route with this part, but I fear I may have spoiled it with the preview. Anyway, onward to adventure.**

Chapter 82: Blackwater Labs

The gang was quickly approaching the research facility. Blackwater Labs was a weapon testing facility associated with Mantle. Eiess had never been here but plenty of people in her social circles had. So, she was at least familiar with the facility's reputation for creating the best weaponry in the world.

"We've been expecting you." A tall man with a cackling voice greeted them at the front gate. He had a dark beard and long coat.

"Mr. Blackwater, I presume." Ruby said.

"Ah, Ruby Rose, please, call me Donald." The man led them inside. "And Ms. Schnee. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

"Pleasure to meet you too." Eiess gave a short bow.

"Pleasure is all mine." Donald said. "Right this way."

He led them down a hallway lined with weapons from all sorts of eras. Ruby oohed and awed like a kid in a candy store. She certainly earned some questionable looks from some of the people who were unaware of her fascination for weapons.

"We ran into some trouble on the way here." August said.

"Ah, the Grimm." Donald understood. "The recent flooding created another ice sheet and brought the Grimm with it."

"You should have hired someone to clear them out." Citrine said.

"So, long as they're not knocking on the door, we don't bother." Donald explained.

"That's reckless thinking." Yang said.

"Nonsense, this is a weapon testing facility. It's always good to have Grimm nearby to run our tests. Isn't that's why Vale keeps Emerald Forest and Forever Fall populated?"

"He's got a point." Johnny said.

"What about the boy?" Nephrite asked.

"What boy?" Donald asked.

"There was some ninja kid who gave us an assist." Yang said.

"Boy…I see. I know no boy who matches that description. Perhaps…never mind. We should get down to business." Donald stopped at his office. "Sadly, this many people won't fit in my small office."

"Yang, August and I will explain everything we can." Ruby said. "The rest of you, make yourself at home."

"Yes, you'll find a directory down the hall." Donald pointed. "As high class huntsmen, you have access to any facilities you may need. I have also arranged five bedrooms for all of you. Usually, I would give everyone their own but…five was all we had spared. Rooms 201-205, which are on the second floor."

"We'll find them." Johnny nodded.

"We should probably talk about sleeping arrangements." Citrine said.

"Well, we're all used to sleeping together anyway." Topaz said. Everyone gave her a weird look. "I'll be with Nephrite." Topaz said flatly.

"I'll bunk with Johnny." Ariadne said.

"I think it would be better if we put all the boys in the same room." Nova said. Everyone looked at Johnny and Scott.

"Psst, Johnny." Scotland whispered. "Have you ever thought it weird that we're the only guys in our group of friends."

"I don't know." Johnny shrugged. "I grew up with a bunch of girls. This seems normal for me."

"Well, Eiess and I should share a room." Citrine said. Eiess' face went red.

"Double standard." Scott pointed.

"We'll share with my mom or something." Citrine said.

"I guess the grownups will just pick their own rooms." Nephrite said.

"Aunt Yang and August will probably sleep together." Citrine said. Once again, earning strange looks. "Not like that…I mean…I don't think so anyway. They're coworkers and probably used to it."

"Well that's up to them." Topaz shrugged.

"I think I'm going to make camp in our room." Eiess said.

"It'll be nice to get a little bit a quiet now that we're not all huddled on a ship." Nova said as she stretched out.

"My thoughts exactly." Eiess said. She walked up the stairs and Nova followed her.

"Dibs on room 204." Nova said as she jumped in.

"I'll take 201." Eiess said.

She walked into the room and examined it. There were two beds and a desk. Eiess assumed all their equipment would be brought in from the boat once all the arrangements with Donald were settled.

She flopped onto the bed and closed her eyes. She let her mind clear of all the stress that had been building up. She'd take a shower or a bath but her extra clothes were on the ship. Even so, she let her mind wander.

She was interrupted when she heard a tapping on the window. She looked and saw the ninja from before. He was climbing in through the window. When their eyes met, he flinched. He had a scared look in his eyes, like he wasn't expecting her. Eiess got up and he started to make his way back out the window.

"Wait." Eiess reached out and stopped him with a glyph. "Who are you and why are you here?"

"I can't say." He said.

"Nonsense. You helped my friends, at least tell me your name."

"I'm not supposed to be here. I'll get in trouble if Mother finds out." He said.

"I won't tell, I promise." She extended her hand to him and dropped the glyph. "My name is Eiess Schnee."

"It's a…pleasure to meet you." He said awkwardly.

"And your name is?"

"Um…"

"It's only polite that you give your name when someone gives theirs."

"Polite? Um…"

"Well…?"

"N…Nick." He said as he flinched.

"Nick…?" Eiess smiled.

"Yes?"

"That's my brother's name." Eiess laughed.

"Brother?" Nick said.

"Wait…have you never heard of me?"

"Should I have?" Nick scratched the back of his head.

"Have you heard of the Schnees? The SDC?"

"Um…maybe?"

"Huh…you'd be the first to ever give me a maybe."

"I…I don't know a lot about the world." Nick said bashfully. "Mother always liked to keep me inside. Even so…I…never mind."

"Do you mind telling me why you're here." Eiess' curiosity was peaking.

"Um…I…someone stole something from Mother. I…I wanted to get it back."

"You're a runaway?" Eiess put the pieces together.

"Mother and Father are always so busy. So are my brother and sister. I'm the only one who can fight. It's what I was made to do I guess."

"So, you took it upon yourself to save the day. Now you're in over your head and worried that you made your parents worried sick?"

"Exactly! How did you know?"

"Let's just say this sounds very familiar." Eiess sighed. "You should go back home."

"But I can't." He said.

"Why not?"

"I um…I might have stowed away on an airship. I don't know which way home is."

"You could use the CCT on your scroll." Eiess said.

"Scroll?"

"You don't have one, do you."

"I'm afraid not." Eiess reached for her scroll. "Wait, please don't!" He grabbed her hand.

"It's dangerous to go alone." Eiess said. "Either bunk in with us, or let me get you home." The door clicked open. Eiess turned around. "That must be Citrine."

"Honey, I'm home." Citrine cheered.

"Citrine, there's someone you should…" She turned back but Nick was gone. "meet."

"What?" Citrine raised an eyebrow.

"He was…" Eiess walked over to the open window.

"Who was?" Citrine asked.

"It's nothing." She leaned against the open window and let the bitter cold air cut through her top.

"Doesn't sound like nothing." Citrine pressed her body into hers. Eiess smiled and blushed as she cupped Citrine's cheek.

"That ninja kid was here." Eiess said.

"Oh…" Citrine said.

"His name is Nick by the way."

"Like your brother?" Citrine said.

"Something like that. I'm afraid there's not much else I was able to get out of him."

"Well, he's in the area so we'll probably run into him again."

"You're right." Eiess said. "So…we're here…alone." Citrine shut the window behind her.

"It seems like this is a rare opportunity." Citrine said. Eiess leaned up and captured her lips. Citrine picked her up and set her on one of the beds.

"I love you…so much." Eiess said.

"I know." Citrine smiled. Eiess' breath hitched as Citrine grabbed her butt. Just then, the door opened. Citrine jumped to the side. Eiess cursed under her breath.

"Hope I wasn't interrupting something." Ruby said as she dropped a load of suitcases on the floor.

"Nothing important." Citrine grumbled.

"Well, if you two ever need any privacy, just let me know…ahead of time." Ruby threw in a wink.

"Mom!" Citrine's face went as red as her mom's cape.

"Hey, we're all adults here and I know your Aunt is probably thinking along the same lines."

"Wait, what?"

"Nothing." Ruby brushed them off. "Anyway, there's three shower stalls if the two of you want to get that out of the way."

"Maybe we only need one." Citrine crossed her arms. Ruby gave her a crossed look. "Just kidding." Hurry back now."

"Yes mom."

 **AN: Ah, cockblocked…or what's the female equivalent again? I know I've heard a funny joke about it once but I can't remember. (one google search later where I add that to my search history) Clam Jam, that's funny. Oh, and Ninja Kid is Nick, but that name is short for something.**


	83. Silver and Gold

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: Now for the action to start. I wanted to have this chapter line up as a romantic chapter since chapter 83 of RWBYond Vale was the big romance chapter in that story but with as many fights as I have planned it was more important to get the action underway.**

Chapter 83: Silver and Gold

Nova ran around the icy mountain after her target. Many of the others had taken to scouting the nearby islands for any signs of the lost temple where the relic was supposed to be housed. Nova decided to make the most of her stay around the facility getting used to her mystical powers. There was perhaps no more perfect, nor infuriating, sparring partner than Citrine.

Citrine had taken many notes from her predecessors when it came to her semblance. She could take a hit and her shield was as strong as they came but her semblance made her untouchable. The only way she'd ever take a hit was if she was protecting a comrade. But this wasn't a double match. This was one on one.

"Kuso!" Nova unleashed streams of radiant fire. She could tell Citrine was straining to avoid them all. But straining wasn't the same as giving in. Nova prepared a large fiery blast, but was then knocked out of the air by Citrine's shield. The blast went off in her face and she fell to the ground.

"Sorry!" Citrine called. Eiess handed a water bottle over to Nova then threw one at Citrine.

"You're even more annoying than Johnny." Nova fumed.

"Not my fault that you can't keep up." Citrine said. Nova's nostrils flared and she clenched her fist.

"You're both amazing." Eiess said.

"You're not that bad yourself." Citrine complimented.

"Please, compared to my mother and aunt, I'm barely above average." Eiess said.

"Don't doubt yourself." Ariadne chimed in. "You're all better than me."

"What makes you say that?" Citrine asked.

"The truth." Nova crossed her arms.

"I'm not much of a fighter." Ariadne said. "I just wanted to be a huntress so that I can prevent anything like what happened to my home."

"What happened to your home?" Eiess said.

"Grimm?" Citrine guessed.

"No, it wasn't the Grimm. It was someone else." Ariadne stated.

"Someone?" Eiess said.

Before Ariadne could explain that her family had been murdered, a fact Nova knew quite well, explosions echoed in the distance. The ground shook. Off behind a large glacier, white and yellow flashes of energy pulsated.

"Do you hear that?" Citrine asked.

"I feel it." Nova answered. "We should go investigate."

"Agreed." Citrine nodded.

They ran along the ice sheet and up the snowy hill. On the other side, there was a frozen lake. The ninja kid from earlier was back sliding and sidewinding around massive energy blasts. A masculine figure with long golden hair fired yellow blasts and a woman with silvery hair fired white blasts. Standing back with his arms crossed was a massive tank of a man with no hair.

"It's that boy." Citrine whispered.

"Nick!" Eiess called. She slid down the slope. The golden one flew through the air before slamming down into the ground. Nick was launched into the air and into the flying kick of the woman.

"Wait!" Citrine started to chase after Eiess but Nova grabbed her cape.

"Launch me." Nova ordered. Citrine used her scythe to hurl Nova into the air. The one with the golden hair had Nick under his boot. He was getting ready to unleash a blast when Nova propelled herself forward and kicked him in the head.

"What the…" He said. His body barely gave. He was incredibly tough. But Nova had plenty of tricks up her sleeve. As she fell towards the ground, she unleashed a fiery blast.

"Melt!" She commanded. The man flew backwards and away from the blast. She then felt a blow to her ribs as the woman kicked her away. Nova flew backwards and was caught by Eiess' glyph.

"So, you DO have friends." The man said as he stomped on Nick's head.

"No." Nick grunted.

"Leave him alone." Eiess ordered. Citrine dropped by her side. The wind started whistling with a tune familiar to Nova.

"Not until you tell us why this little sneak thief has been following us." The woman said.

"I told you already." Nick grunted. "You stole from mother."

"We haven't stolen from anyone who daft kid." The woman said.

"Argentum, perhaps he's referring to the boss." The man said.

"I guess that makes sense. But Aurum, that would mean he's tracked us all the way from Atlas."

"Is that so?" Aurum said. "Tough kid, aren't we?"

"Tougher than you know." Nick threatened.

"Let him go." Eiess aimed her blade at them.

"What are you going to do about it princess?" Aurum threatened. "Hmm…come to think of it…you, in the orange cape, you have silver eyes."

"What about it?" Citrine said.

"Oh, I just know a guy." Aurum said. "Well if these kids are so pressed to save the day…Argentum, if you may."

"Gladly." She cracked her knuckles. "Wolfram! Want in on the action?"

"No." The large man said in a robotic voice. "None of these children are on my threat list."

"You and that list." Aurum shook his head.

"Well, more for me." Argentum said. In an instant, she was in between all three of them. She kicked Eiess in the face, a punch bounced off Citrine's shield and a knee went into Nova's stomach.

Nova back peddled. Argentum went for Citrine. She fired lasers from her hand. Citrine avoided them all and retaliated with some pot shots. Eiess flung lightning and fire from her sword. Argentum intercepted the blasts and flung them back at her. Nova threw a fireball but the same thing happened to her.

Nova used that as a distraction to get close. Argentum caught the first sword with just two fingers. Nova surrounded the second sword in fire. Argentum caught it with her free hand. Nova grabbed her knife with her tail. She thrusted it into Argentum's face. Argentum dodged the stab and a second later was tossed around and slammed across the lake.

She dodged Citrine's shield and Eiess' blade. She kicked Eiess in the chest and followed up with a slap to the face. She was toying with them. Nova took a deep breath and gathered her power. If only she had mastery of other elements she could maybe immobilize Argentum. But even if that were the case, they still had Aurum to deal with. She had to be smart, and finish Argentum quickly.

Citrine moved in for a shield bash. Argentum moved out of the way and disarmed Citrine. She tried pulling the shield back but Argentum was way stronger than Citrine's magnets. Eiess landed an ice blast, freezing her feet. Nova unleashed the fiery energy she had gathered up. Ariadne's boost took full effect. Nova unleashed a magnificent violet blast towards their opponent.

Argentum smirked and caught the blast. She then redirected it at Eiess. Citrine jumped in the way. The scorching blast singed her cape and caused her to scream in pain. Argentum burst out of the ice and punched Eiess square in the jaw.

"Kuso!" Nova grappled towards them. Argentum battered Eiess and Citrine with her own shield. She then threw it at the approaching Nova. She vaulted over it but was intercepted with a kick. She rolled back on her feet. Ariadne's song hit a higher pitch. Argentum froze in place.

"What?" She said.

"It wasn't three on one." Nova smirked. She spun her swords into the paralyzed Argentum. "It was four on one." She bounced around, hacking away at Argentum with everything she had. She screamed in rage as she sliced into Argentum's neck, chest and face. Finally, she broke through. Argentum fell to the ground. Her body sparked as her skin flaked off.

"I guess the cat is out of the bag." Argentum smirked. Her right eye was glowing red.

"An android?" Eiess said as she cradled Citrine's unconscious body.

"Cool…" Nova said flatly. "That means I won't feel bad about ripping you, limb from limp." She ran at Argentum once again. Fire and lightning coursed from her body.

"Not so fast!" Aurum intercepted her blow. "You're pretty good kid. How about this. I let you hit me as hard as you can."

"Kuso." Nova started to move.

"Don't…" Aurum was interrupted when Nova kicked him in the neck. "You just wasted your shot."

"Shut up!" Nova started hacking at him. Unlike Argentum, he took the blows. Nova bounced around and launched acidic clones. Aurum didn't budge. He shrugged off every blow as if it were nothing.

"Is that all you have?" Aurum asked. Nova's eyes went ablaze. "Oh, now this is interesting." He finally retaliated, punching the wind out of Nova's stomach. "Argentum, have you had your fill?"

"I think so." She said as she brushed herself off.

"Good." Aurum grabbed Nova by the hair and started beating her. "I'd kill you, but that would be a waste Summer Maiden. I guess I'll have to wait until Lithium deals with you." He punched her repeatedly in the face. His vice grip on her head didn't let up.

"Kuso." Nova said as she choked back tears.

"Are…are you crying?" Aurum laughed. He kicked her in the arm. Nova's body went into shock as she felt her arm snap. "That's so funny." Eiess dove in and hacked at his throat. The blow did nothing. He grabbed Eiess by the throat. "What part of your plan made you think it would work?"

"We should kill the others." Argentum said.

"Perhaps you're…" He was cut off by a massive gust of wind. Ariadne was rushing in, playing her flute and bringing a cavalry of polar bears and birds.

"Oh, that is the most ridiculous…" Argentum started. She was interrupted as Citrine bashed her head with her shield.

"I'll be taking this back." Citrine said as she unfurled it into its scythe form. As Ariadne, riding a polar bear slid in between Nova and Aurum, August and Yang dropped in too.

"Sorry I couldn't be more help." Ariadne said. Her breath hitched when she saw Nova's sorry state.

"Well then." Aurum said. "I guess this is our cue to leave."

"Not so fast." August dashed in but in a silvery flash, they were gone.

Nova stood limply on the ice sheet. Nick was still lying face first on the ground. The big guy, Wolfram had left. Aurum and Argentum were nowhere to be found. But as much as Nova's body ached, it was nothing compared to her pride. And so, just as Yang started questioning what was going on, Nova passed out.

 **AN: More of the Tomorrow People have been revealed. Maybe soon you'll get a taste of Nick's background and what secrets he's carrying. Aurum and Argentum are among the strongest in the group and will be back later in the arc.**


	84. Talk

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: This was going to be another battle chapter. Then I realized I had that chapter twice. So, that actually works in my favor because I'm able to use this chapter to explain some things before it gets crazy again.**

Chapter 84: Talk

Nephrite and the others had just returned to base. They didn't manage to find what they were looking for, just a bread crumb pointing them in the right direction. The whole cluster of islands had disappeared off contemporary maps but now they knew which of the islands it was. Or at least which one it was most likely on.

When they arrived back at Blackwater Labs, they found out that quite the commotion had happened while they were absent. That would explain why August and Yang left so abruptly. Upon their arrival, Ariadne filled them in on what had happened.

"Citrine?" Ruby said in a panic as she burst into the hospital room.

"I'm fine mom." Citrine said as she sipped on a juice box. Nephrite, Johnny and Topaz filed in. Ruby ran over and hugged her daughter tightly.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help." Ruby choked back tears. Nova was in the bed next to her talking to someone on her scroll. Her arm was in a cast. Nephrite slid in next to her to see who she was talking to. To her surprise is was Verdant.

"Hey." Nova said. She pulled out her headphones.

"Hello…" Verdant said. "It's Nephrite, right?" Nephrite nodded.

"He and his team called in to see how things were going." Nova explained.

"Headmaster Azul is doing his own research into this relic business and asked us to help." Verdant said.

"How's my gramps doing anyway?" Topaz leaned into Nephrite's back.

"We're not getting anywhere." Verdant shook his head. "I hear Akhdir and Ramil from Shade are assisting Vacuo's Headmaster as well."

"And I guarantee Eiess' aunt is doing the same." Nova said.

"If the people behind the flood and the people you fought are connected…we'll find them." Verdant smiled. "Until then…we'll do our best!" He gave a triumphant thumb's up.

"Keep us in the loop." Nova said. "Bye."

"Until next time." The call ended. Nova gave a soft sigh and a smile. That earned a couple of glances.

"What…it's not like I like him." Nova huffed.

"Sure." Johnny said.

"It's nice to know we're not alone in this." Nova defended.

"There's a lot of pieces moving." Ruby said as she turned towards Nova. "You doing okay?" She ran her fingers through Nova's hair.

"I'll be fine Mrs. Ruby." Nova said.

"You broke your arm." Ruby said. "But I sense a greater pain in your eyes."

"I…kuso…my power was useless!"

"Explain to me." Ruby said.

"Everything I through at that meinu…she just caught and threw it back. It's my fault Citrine got hurt. It was my attack!"

"Enough." Ruby said. "Obviously, she had an ability to manipulate energy. Learn from that mistake and do better next time."

"Understood." Nova said.

"So, what's this I hear about a ninja?"

Nephrite and Johnny followed Ruby to where Yang and August were trying to question the mysterious ninja kid. They had at least gotten a name out of him, Nick. Nephrite simply wanted to thank him for helping her out earlier.

"Ruby." Yang met them outside the interview room. Eiess was there too, sitting on a chair.

"So, what's his story?" Ruby asked as she grabbed a cup of coffee.

"His name's Nick." Yang said. "Only one he's opened up to is Eiess. We've managed to piece together a few things. The assholes that hurt Nova and Citrine were Androids. They call themselves the Tomorrow People. There's more of them. They stole something in Atlas and that's when this kid started tailing them. He says they stole from his mother."

"Mother?" Ruby sighed.

"He said he doesn't want to speak with anyone but you."

"Me?"

"I've seen the look in his eyes numerous times. Nova used to have that look every time I'd talk to you."

"He's using a meeting with me as payment for his cooperation." Ruby stated.

"Yep." Yang took a drink from her flask.

"Alright, I'm going in." Ruby said. She went inside the makeshift interrogation room. Nephrite took a seat next to Eiess. Johnny stood next to the window and stared intently at Nick.

"Interesting." He said.

"What's interesting?" Nephrite asked.

"The fact you can't see it means you're not looking hard enough." He answered. Nephrite rose a brow.

"Hello." Ruby said as she took a seat. "Nick? Do you know who I am?"

"Everyone knows who you are." Nick avoided her eyes. "My mother told me about you." He whispered.

"Did she now? Well Nick, do you have a last name?" Nick sat in silence, twiddling his thumbs.

"I guess." He shrugged.

"You guess?" Ruby sounded confused. Nick just nodded. "Well Nick, how old are you?" Ruby asked. Nick just shrugged. "Do you know how old you are?"

"Of course, I do." Nick said. "It's just I don't want to say."

"Well what do you want to say?" Ruby said in a soothing voice.

"I…I forgot." Nick said.

"From what I heard, you took quite a beating. You must be quite the little trooper. Your mom must be proud."

"She's probably angry with me." Nick said, choking back a tear.

"I'm sure she's just worried." Ruby assured.

"I'm scared." Nick said. "Or I should be." Nephrite extended her aura to gauge his emotions. She didn't feel much.

"I understand." Ruby soothed. "I ran away from home when I was sixteen. I thought I could save the world."

"I just don't want to see Mother sad anymore." He said.

"Well that's rotten thinking. If your mother is anything like me, she's probably bawling her eyes out wanting you to come home." Nick shrugged. "Is that why you don't want to tell me your name or age? Because you're scared?"

"I…I know that if I tell you, you'll just send me back home. I'll have nothing to show for how much I made Mother and Father cry."

"So, there's a father as well?"

"Well, that is normal, right?"

"Normal is a way to put it." Ruby sighed.

"Sixteen." Nick said.

"What?"

"You were sixteen when you left home right?"

"That's right."

"That was the Battle of Haven."

"You know your history."

"History and math are easy to recall." Nick said. "I'm sixteen." He said firmly.

"Hmm…I have a son and daughter about your age." Ruby said.

"Both?"

"Twins?"

"Oh."

"Wait…you did know twins were a thing, right?"

"I don't know a lot of things normal people would."

"Boy you are killing me." Ruby put a hand on her forehead.

"I am?" Nick said frantically.

"It's just an expression." Ruby laughed.

"Oh…sorry…language hasn't come as easily." He said.

"Well…from one hero to a future one…call your parents. Let them know you're with me. And I'll convince them to let you stay here until you get whatever they stole, back."

"That sounds like a good idea."

"I know if the same thing happened to my son…I would want to know…I would want him to let me know where he is. So that anytime he needs me, I can be there."

"What about your daughters?" He asked.

"Same thing. Why do you ask."

"You singled out a boy."

"I did that because you're a boy." Ruby said. Nick's voice hitched.

"Wait, you all think I'm a boy?"

"You're not?" Ruby said.

"He's not!" Nephrite and Eiess said together. Johnny just started chuckling to himself.

"No, no, no, oh I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding. "

"Your name isn't Nicholas then?"

"No, it's Nickel. Like the metal. My mother made me to be a girl and named me because her name is similar."

"Made you?" Ruby stood up. Nick covered her mouth.

"And now you know why I was laughing." Johnny said. Nephrite squinted her eyes and focused her powers. They had been on the fritz lately. But in the relaxed seat she was able to focus. When she did she saw a copper colored soul inside the machine that was Nickel's body.

"She's an android!" Nephrite blurted out. Nickel slammed her head into the table. Ruby put a hand on her head.

"So much for secrets." Nickel huffed.

"I'm sorry." Ruby said. "I was using my powers to influence your emotions and get you to open up." She said understandingly. "An android from Atlas, with copper colored hair and green eyes. It threw me off when everyone was talking about a boy." She raised Nickel's head up and looked her in the eyes. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you…Nickel Polendina."

"So, you already know about me?"

"I know Penny's been working at you for a long time." Ruby said. "Sixteen years sounds about right. But you weren't up and running until a few months ago, were you?" Nickel nodded in affirmation.

"Please don't tell Mother." Nickel pleaded as she removed the scarf from around her mouth.

"I won't. You will." Ruby said. "Just like I suggested." Yang walked by and inside.

"Ruby." Yang said. "We have a delivery coming in from Atlas."

"Delivery?" Ruby got up.

"It's coming in hot." Yang explained. The two of them rushed towards the main entrance. Nephrite and Johnny followed. Eiess stayed behind to talk to Nickel.

"What's this package?"

"Donny notified Winter of what happened. She was sending some people on a mission towards here anyway so she had a volunteer hitch a ride and he's going to making a landing any second now."

"Is it Penny?" Ruby asked.

"No, I don't know what Penny is doing." Yang said.

They made it outside just as the jet flew by. Nephrite and the rest looked to the sky and saw someone falling. He had a case in his hand. Johnny smirked up at the sky.

"Oh, it's this guy." He said. At that moment, Deus landed on the ground with a heavy thud on his feet and right hand. His left hand held the case.

"Mrs. Ruby!" He shot up strait and gave her a salute. "We hear your platoon has run into some androids."

"At ease." She said. Deus put his hand down and raised the case.

"We have information…who they are, where they come from, what they've stolen thus far…and a way to easily eliminate them." Deus said with confidence.

 **AN: This cast is getting a little heavy. A lot of pieces moving. Next time, we'll be catching up with another faction, and introducing a fan favorite character.**


	85. Legion of Chaos

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: This was going to be another battle chapter. Then I realized I had that chapter twice. So, that actually works in my favor because I'm able to use this chapter to explain some things before it gets crazy again.**

Chapter 85: Legion of Chaos

Sipping on this cheaper wine, Cinder was almost thankful that Raven had been such a good host. All the years she spent in that pit underneath Arbiter Academy, and Raven had always been courteous to give her the finest of wine. Not like this cheap stuff Watts liked to keep stocked. But until they conquered their own slice of heaven, Watts' estate would have to do.

To her right was Emerald. To her left was Mercury. Just as she had always wanted it to be. Next to Mercury was Jet, leaning back with his feet on the table. Across from Jet was Ash. Cinder had spent the last several weeks teaching her would-be son a few important things. It was despicable that she didn't even know that Tobi had created him from her cells until it was too late. When Cinder first found out, Ash was a man, working with Cipher. Now he worked for her. Next to Ash was her secret weapon, Tyrian Callows, who stood on his chair like a flying monkey. He rubbed his palms together awaiting her orders. Across from him was Hazel, who appeared to be sleeping. And at the far end, looking face to face with Cinder was Arthur Watts.

"I trust everything is satisfactory Ms. Fall." Watts said.

"Your wine is cheap." Cinder stated. "Other than that, I've been pleased with my stay here."

"If Cipher finds out that I've been harboring you..." Watts pleaded.

"They'll come here and I'll eliminate them." Cinder assured. "With the power of Fall and the Eye of Truth...there's no one alive who can defeat me."

"Except perhaps a little red huntress." Tyrian hissed with a chuckle.

"Well, let's discuss that shall we." Cinder called to order. "Our top priority is Cipher."

"They're working from a large island on the other side of the world." Watts said.

"When we eliminate them, we'll take that island for ourselves." Cinder ordered. "We'll make our own kingdom."

"And we'll build a nice big wall right?" Mercury said. Jet snickered at the joke.

"In my youth I wanted to be a goddess like Salem. But she ultimately failed. In the days since the war, I have found that I am much more like Avis Bran. I had just as much of a hand in shaping this world as Ruby Rose did. I think I deserve my reward."

"Avis has done nothing to deserve any peace." Emerald defended.

"Yes indeed." Watts noted. "Right now, he has an army and we are so few."

"That's where the huntsmen come in." Ash said. "All we do is sit and wait."

"Waiting may not suffice." Cinder said.

"Cipher has commissioned Dr. Merlot to build an army of androids." Watts informed.

"Like that Penny woman?" Emerald said.

"Yes, they've even stolen blueprints and tools from Polendina labs." Watts added.

"This interests me." Cinder said. "I've always been fascinated with Penny Polendina. Avarice once believed that her blueprint was that pathway to immortality. I don't think I need to explain how enticing that is."

"We have a good idea of where he is." Mercury said.

"Leave that be for now." Cinder raised a hand. "Tyrian...your job is to track one of these androids down. Bring me their body. Perhaps I can work something out that way."

"As you wish milady." Tyrian licked his lips.

"Start with Blackwater Labs." Watts said. "There's a group of huntsmen searching for a relic. A group of these androids are tailing them."

"Ohh hehe." Tyrian clapped. "The possibilities. Huntsmen and androids fighting to the death and behold! I, Tyrian, will be the final victor. Isn't this exciting!?"

"I will leave you to your own devices." Cinder said, earning a bigger grin from the sociopath. "What of the White Fang."

"They're loyal to Avis." Hazel spoke up. "They'll never follow you. Not so long as Sienna Khan is still in command."

"That's to be expected." Emerald said. "Salem and Khan didn't end things on the right foot."

"Which brings us to the Maidens." Cinder changed the subject.

"You are Fall, Ruby Rose is Spring." Mercury started.

"The Winter Maiden is Ebony Sterling, a professor in Atlas, and Winter Schnee's right hand man." Watts said.

"Ironic." Emerald said.

"I...don't think you know what that word means." Tyrian laughed.

"What of the Summer Maiden?" Cinder said.

"What indeed." A raspy voice echoed through the hall. The lights in the room dimmed and a shadowy figure dropped onto the center of the table. He wore a dark cloak and a leathery bird mask with glass eyes. Though, with the Eye of Truth, Cinder was able to discern his identity.

"Who are you?" Emerald raised her weapon. Cinder grabbed her arm.

"My name is Arancia, and we share a common enemy." He announced.

"Arancia?" Cinder tapped her finger impatiently. "I suppose you too want Cipher burned to the ground."

"And so much more." Arancia swooped in behind her. "Four Relics of Oblivion and you have half of one." His gloved hand grazed over her eye patch, which his the Eye of Truth. "I have conscripted a huntress to beat Avis to the punch. As we speak, they are drawing ever closer to the Relic of Creation."

"So, these relics are real." Cinder said.

"As I said, you have half of the Relic of Knowledge. The other half is still in Oblivion."

"The Eyes of Truth."

"Bingo." He said. "I'll make you an offer. I'll point you to the Relic of Destruction and assure that you beat everyone else there. And I'll add to that deal. Do you want to know a secret?"

"Depends on the secret." Cinder said.

"Relics and Maidens are linked. You, Fall Maiden, are linked to the Relic of Destruction. You alone can access it's hiding place."

"And I presume the Relic of Creation can only be accessed by the Spring Maiden." Cinder guessed.

"In a matter of speaking. The Relics have a lot of power. But to a Maiden, that power is arbitrary. That's why Ozpin hid them the way they would. Only a Maiden, the only people who wouldn't need such things, can unlock their power."

"By unlock, you mean, unlock whatever vault their hidden in."

"Clever girl as always. You do pay attention when you read." Arancia boasted. "But when it came time for Avarice, to hide the Relic of Knowledge, which was already split in two, he used a different method. He cast the eyes far from each other. And made it to where only one can bring them together."

"The Summer Maiden." Cinder assumed.

"Do you see why now, the Arbiters have always looked after the Summer Maiden. Whether it be Amber Thurston at the end of the Great War, Octavia Grinnitch in more recent times, or in modern times...Nova Wukong. Daughter of the current Arbiter Nemian, and protege of Yang Xiao Long, who herself is the daughter of the standing Arbiter leader."

"So, if I get a hold of the Summer Maiden, I can potentially grasp two relics?" Cinder said.

"That's right." Arancia said.

"And what is it you want in return?" Cinder asked.

"I want a lot of things. I want assurance that you and I are allies. I want power. But from you specifically...I too am interested in immortality. If you can succeed in securing that for me...my contribution to your efforts will be well worth it."

"Then it seems we're at an understanding." Cinder said.

"The Summer Maiden is with the huntsmen searching for Creation." Arancia said as he summoned a Black Gate and disappeared.

"Well...isn't that exciting?" Tyrian said with glee.

"You have your mission Tyrian. But leave the Summer Maiden be. I'll see to her myself."

"She won't go down easy." Jet said. "I fought her in the past. She's stubborn and tough as all hell."

"And her partner is good." Emerald complimented. "Good enough to see through my illusions."

"Well then we stay the course." Cinder commanded. "We're an opportunistic bunch of criminals. We won't overplay our hand."

 **AN: Well, everyone is officially after the relics. I really do think I've done a better job with Cinder than what the show proper will end up doing. This was a good chapter for her. She's taking control of the situation.**


	86. Gallium

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: Well, it's another battle chapter. I took my time with this one since it's a battle chapter and it's one of the few fights I haven't given any real thought towards up until now. Plus, it introduces a string of battle chapters.**

Chapter 86: Gallium

Of course, this Temple of Creation would be on the south eastern most island in the cluster. It was so far that at this point, it would have been easier to have hung out on Anima for this search. This whole thing was really feeling like a wild goose chase. Topaz swore that if this temple didn't have what they were looking for she was going to throw a fit.

At least Deus had delivered some schematics, and a weapon that allowed them to nullify special abilities within androids. Too bad he couldn't come with them. It's not like the ship was overcrowded or anything.

"It's a little overcrowded on this ship." Scotland said as if reading her mind.

"We only picked up one person and I sometimes forget she's here." Topaz said as she thought of Nickel.

"We're almost there." Ruby called out. "I can feel it."

"According to legend this temple is surrounded on all sides by cliffs." Johnny said.

"Reminds me of the Isle of Storms." Yang said.

"We'll anchor at the nearby island." Topaz pointed.

"A Haven team is also in the area." Nova informed.

"Since when do you keep track of Mistral?" Citrine asked.

"I have friends." Nova crossed her arms with a huff.

"Uh huh yeah sure." Topaz jived.

"You all set up camp on the island." Ruby said. "August and I will set scout ahead."

"Understood." Johnny said.

They docked on the island. It was featureless, save for a small plateau. Ruby and August parted ways to the nearby island. Scott and Nickel started setting up some equipment. This was a milenias old temple they were searching for so remnants may be on the island.

After a minute, a few people went rigid. Yang's gaze narrowed and Johnny nodded towards her. They spun around and fired into empty space. There was a flash as their rounds collided with an invisible dome shield. There were six of them. A woman with copper colored dreads, a cyclops mask and an electric sword flickered into vision. A woman with spiky yellow hair had streaks of lightning shooting off his body. A large one, who didn't look human at all, separated his hands and the shield dropped. A man, with a purple crusader helmet and old fashion armor pointed his lance at the group.

"Scatter!" Yang said. Topaz jumped backwards towards the water. The most normal looking woman in the bunch liquefied and borrowed into the ground. As Topaz hit the beach, the silvery liquid shot out of the ground and wrapped around her.

"You're not going anywhere." She said. Yang exchanged punches with a giant. Nickel blocked a sword strike from the one with dreads. As they both flickered in and out of vision, Topaz remembered their names. The one with the lance was Promethium and he was engaging Nephrite and Eiess. The lightning one was named Copper and he was trying to blast Citrine. The one with orange dreads that was fighting Nickel was Zinc. Yang was fighting Titan. Which left Team JANS to fight the leader of the group, a white-haired woman with an arsenal at her disposal named Sodium.

"Galium I presume." Topaz choked out, a tentacle wrapped around her throat.

"We were told that you were quite dangerous." Galium hissed. "But only when you have water."

"Well, if your plan was to stop me, you already failed." She twitched her fingers. A thin blast of water shot from the ocean and cut Galium in half. Topaz s[un around and cut her in half with her sword and stabbed her in the chest. Galium returned in kind, pulling herself back together and whipping her arm toward's Topaz.

Topaz jumped back and extended her weapon into a spear. She was on the defensive as Galium formed her body into spiky flails. Topaz opened the container strapped to her back and quickly whipped out the pressurized water inside. The orb quickly shot around and cut Galium's leg off. As the android stumbled to the ground, Topaz hurled her spear at her. She planted a bit of her aura into it. On impact, the lightning dust inside Sharkbait's shaft ignited.

"Gah!" Galium screamed. Topaz put her hands together for the really painful part. Even if Nephrite was in a slump, Topaz still couldn't have asked for a more wonderful partner. The Aura Bomb was one of the most advanced techniques a person could do. It required intense skill and impeccable control to displace part of your aura, turn it into a raw explosive, latch it onto an object and ignite it. When pulled off correctly it could be a death blow, when it failed it could be dangerous.

"Take this!" The aura bomb erupted in a pillar of light blue energy. Galium started to break apart. Topaz jumped in the water and summoned the Hippocampi to launch her out to see. She condensed the construct into a dark orb and pressurized it as much as she could to crush the core that held Galium together. With how much the android had liquefied it was easy. Topaz didn't even have to worry about the protective aura coating the liquid metal. It was a mismatch of the highest degree. Against anyone else here Galium would have been especially dangerous, but against a master of the waves like Topaz she was easy pickings.

As Galium was reduced to a slopping mess of mercurial mush, Topaz looked to her comrades, all engaging in their own fights, Save for Team JANS who were fighting together. The only one who seemed to be having significant trouble was Nephrite, who was failing to land a single blow. So, that's who Topaz decided to run and rescue. But the aura bomb had taken a lot more out of her than she initially thought. If this guy was anything like the ones Citrine and the others had fought earlier, this could be bad.

 **AN: Let the battles begin. I think this was the first time since Team CTEN's fight with Mercury that I actually used the proper name of Topaz's weapon. Galium was inspired by the T-1000 from Terminator 2 if you didn't pick that up. The original idea was to have all the Tomorrow People be based off various robots from popular fiction, but when it came time to create the characters, I felt like that was too gimmicky when paired with the naming convention.**


	87. Prometheum

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: So, this chapter is the one I said accidentally got put in twice on my outline, just under different names so I didn't catch it until a few days ago. But this is the big Nephrite chapter for this arc and probably the most development she's going to get within the confines of a single chapter.**

Chapter 87: Prometheum

Nephrite leaped out of the way of her opponent's laser fire. This android, Prometheum was keeping his distance. She could tell by the way he was looking at her that he was analyzing his moves.

"You're athletic, I'd expect nothing else from a huntress your age." He said.

"I'm not a huntress." Nephrite said.

"Ah yes a student, but one who has passed two years at Beacon." Prometheum said. "Not only that but you've already fought powerful foes, the Chaos Syndicate and the Grimm that rampaged through your streets." Nephrite flinched at the memory.

"Shut up." She hissed.

"Repressing the memory of a tragic event. It's no use." Prometheum gloated. "It'll always follow."

"You don't know anything!" Nephrite shouted. In an instant, Prometheum closed the distance.

"You presume too much." He thrust his javelin at her. She knocked it away and threw an elbow towards his face. He caught it and she followed up with an axe kick. "You're strong, fast, smart, everything that it takes to be a huntress, save for one thing." He blocked her attack, spun her around, kicked her in the back and slammed her to the ground. "You lack conviction." He said.

"What do…" Nephrite shut up in time to stop the lance from stabbing her face.

"You're willing to fight for your life. That's a start I guess. But I can see it in your eyes. Whatever drove you to go this far…it's gone. What happened?"

"Daddy." She whispered. A tear fell from her eye.

"Now we're getting somewhere." Prometheum claimed. Nephrite twisted her body, slamming the javelin into the ground. She kicked him in the face and rolled back onto her feet. She slid her katar across his chest and fired her weapon's gun. Prometheum flipped out of the way.

"How do you know so much?" Nephrite said. "Is that what you were programmed to do?"

"I've…I remember." He said as he got in a combat stance identical to hers. Nephrite's heart skipped a beat. Tears welled up in her eyes and hatred filled her to the core.

"You've got no right to stand like that."

"Touched a nerve, did I? Was that it? Is the one you lost the one who taught you how to fight?"

"Get out of my head!" She charged at him. She masterfully slid her feet along the ground and nailed him with a palm strike. He slid his feet in turn to negate the damage. She threw an elbow into his face. He caught it and threw a hand into her face. She bent backwards out of the way and kneed him in the chest.

"Sounds like I've been right in my surmises." He gloated. She stepped on his foot, hit him with a palm strike in the chest, then kicked him in the chin and finished the combo with a spinning jump kick.

"You're trying to throw me off." Nephrite guessed. "You're getting inside my…" Someone dashed in behind Prometheum. It was Topaz, swinging her sword for his throat. He blocked it and the resulting impact created a shockwave.

"Thought you could get the drop on me?" Prometheum said.

"For a second there, yeah, I did." Topaz said with a grin. A water ball smacked him in the face and surrounded his head. "Now drown on dry land."

"Oh no." Prometheum just stood there. "Whatever shall I do? My human lungs are filling up. Oh, the humanity."

"God…damn it." Topaz huffed. "If you're going to make fun of me at least make sure you're not in danger."

"Danger?" Prometheum said. Topaz squeezed her hand and Prometheum's helmet cracked open like a pistachio. The water evaporated from the heat that amount of pressure caused, but the androids face was now in full view.

"Damn, I was hoping to explode your head with it. Did you really think I was dumb enough to drown a robot like that?"

"For a second there, I did." Prometheum grabbed his lance and threw himself at her. Topaz's sword collided with his lance. Nephrite ran in behind him and fired at his back. Prometheum slid to throw Topaz towards Nephrite.

"Look out!" Nephrite called. Prometheum slammed his lance into Topaz's arm, sending her flying. Nephrite ran towards her as she tumbled across the ground.

"Get your head in the game." Topaz said. Nephrite was cut off as he slid in front of her and slammed his palm into her stomach.

"How do you defeat a huntsman?" He said coldly. "Let me count the ways." He blasted the ground, causing Nephrite to stumble. He hit her with a grappling hook and pulled her in for a spinning kick. "You can string them up." He wrapped the cable around her legs.

"Get away from her!" Topaz commanded.

"You can beat them down." He dodged her sword swing. In three short moves he battered her, disarmed her and slashed her with her own weapon. He changed it into its spear mode and threw it at her. Topaz caught it but was then engulfed by the bomb he planted on it.

"Topaz!" Nephrite reached out. Her vision was clouded by tears as Prometheum kicked her in the face. She cut herself loose and pointed her weapons at him. He hit a button on his chest and a magnetic pulse hit her and knocked the guns away.

"Flash-rounds, skull-rounds, dust-rounds." He pointed his lance at her face. Topaz ran in and tackled him. They quickly rolled around but he ended up on top and threw her. "Use their own tactics against them."

"Leave her alone." Nephrite jump kicked him in the face.

"Head…" He poked her forehead. "Heart." He slammed his finger into her chest. "Lungs." He knocked the wind out of her with a palm strike. "Unmask, unravel, dismantle, divide." He tossed her around and kneed her in her chest. Topaz swooped in and slashed his chest. He blocked her next few strikes with his arms before slamming her into the ground. "Those are the ways to beat a huntsman."

"Topaz!" Nephrite rushed in blindly and tried hitting him with a flurry of palm strikes. Prometheum moved to strike her but the blow was intercepted by Topaz. She slammed her sword on the ground causing him to back off.

"The fact that I'm fighting smarter than you is pissing me off!" Topaz snapped at her. She grabbed her by the wrist and threw her out of the way of an energy blast. "I know you're hurting…I know your dad died and that has you all riled up. But if you keep fighting like this you're going to die so cut it out!"

"Don't lecture her on how to cope." Prometheum said as he fired his lance again.

"You need to get your head in the game. Think of your mother, your brother and sisters. Think of Glade and Prim and everyone back home. Because that is what's on the line. The world is counting on us to succeed."

"But they aren't." Nephrite whispered. Topaz slapped her across the face.

"You weren't the only one who lost family that night." Topaz hissed. That was right. Several of Topaz's cousins had perished in Mistral that same day.

"We all have people we've lost." Prometheum said. "I…remember what it was like the first time I lost a comrade during the Faunas War."

"That's impossible." Topaz said as she raised her weapon. "Androids like you weren't around back then."

"How is it you think I came to be?" Prometheum started. "I've…seen things you people wouldn't believe. When my soul was ripped from my body and put into this…iron shell…all that was left were the memories of my battles. Without memories of my youth, my loves, my personal life, can I even be considered the same person? That is why I took the moniker Prometheum. All I remember before I was crammed in this suit, is the fighting. The man in those memories, his name was Colonel Vanilla Sly."

"Oh for heaven's sake." Topaz stood at the ready.

"You've heard of him?" Nephrite asked.

"My mom fought him during Operation: Ozpinhead, or as it was called back then, the mission to save Professor Ozpin."

"I…remember…was it fate?" Prometheum said. "I fought an android on that day too, as well as the Spring Maiden Ruby Rose."

"It's actually Ruby Rose-Arc now." Topaz corrected. "Not sure how she feels about being called by former name."

Prometheum rushed at them. Topaz deflected the blow and opened him up to a palm strike. Nephrite grit her teeth as she put all her energy into the blow. Part of his armor was blown off. Topaz switched to her spear and slammed it into him.

Nephrite followed up with a spinning slash that grinded against his metallic flesh. Prometheum back peddled. He fired at the ground at Nephrite's feet. She stumbled at the blast. He dove in to impale her with his lance. Topaz jumped in the way and took the blow, her aura shattered and Prometheum kicked her in the face, knocking a tooth out.

Nephrite's eyes went wide as he tossed Topaz to the ground. Nephrite acted on instinct and kneed him in the face. She didn't let up. This time hitting him with a trio of palm strike's that stripped away his armor.

Memories of all her friends passed in her mind as she thought about what Topaz had said. So, as Prometheum recomposed himself and rushed at her, she took a breath. She evened her breathing and closed her eyes. She felt rather than saw, for the first time since that dreadful night. She knew she didn't have the strength to beat him alone, but she wouldn't let Topaz's efforts go to waste.

She could feel him. She could see the creamy yellow aura resonating from a single core. She could feel everything around her. For the first time in a while, she was at peace. And she displayed that peace with herself, by creating an aura bomb on Prometheum's chest.

The bomb went off, engulfing them both. Prometheum's body shut down as his aura retreated inside its core. Nephrite's body on the other hand was blasted backward. Her aura shattered as she tumbled next to Topaz.

"You…have your conviction again, even if for a moment." Prometheum pushed the words out as he shut down. "I had copied your moves from before, but I could not copy that." He moved to say more but his body had completely shut down.

"Topaz?" Nephrite helped her sit up.

"I knew you could do it." She coughed out. "You're so strong when you clear your mind." She smiled and pushed a strand of matted hair out of Nephrite's eyes. "But I think we're done for the day Neph." Nephrite wrapped her arms around her partner.

"I'm so glad you're okay." She started crying.

"Hah, sent one of those bastards to wherever robots go when they die." Topaz laughed and held her close. Nephrite snuggled close to Topaz's soft chest for a few seconds before passing out herself.

 **AN: That was a lot of fun. Of course I had to throw in a Blade Runner reference. I also wanted to highlight that, all these androids do have a past but much like Penny, don't have any real memories from before they became androids. Still, I love the idea of Vanilla coming back like this. He could've come back a different way but he'd be like 80 or something. He was already an old man when he was in RWBYond Vale.**


	88. Nickel

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: I originally wanted to do this fight differently. But instead of trying to cram bits in throughout other chapters I decided to do this. It's a little different than other fights, which is always a good thing.**

Chapter 88: Nickel

"Hello?" Was Nickel's first words. Her first sight was the white lights of the lab. She looked down and saw someone with orange hair and a green bow. She had her face in her arms, crying.

"You…" She stopped as soon as Nickel spoke. "You're alive?" She sounded excited.

"A…live?"

"Rubrum!" Penny called to the other room. "Do you know who you are?" She said softly.

"My name? Name?"

"You are Nickel. I am your mother." She gave a warm smile as she clutched her chest.

"Mother?" Nickel was confused, she had no idea what was going on.

"I'll explain everything as soon as I can." Penny said. "But all you need to know is that you are my beautiful baby girl, and I love you very much." Penny kissed her on the forehead.

"Hold still you bastard!" Zinc shouted in the present. He tried cloaking his attacks but Nickel was able to see right through them. Nickel had learned at the beginning of his combat training that semblances worked differently in androids than humans. They needed a compatible body with their semblance. And overloading their body with gadgets could be harmful. Nickel's special ability was cloaking her entire presence, which benefitted from the stealth modifiers in her chassis. Zinc had a similar ability, but she hadn't figured out that part yet.

Nickel was completely aware of her surroundings. Eiess had left Nephrite's side to join Citrine when it became clear that Copper's lightning blasts were too fast for her. Yang was still in a slug fest with Titan and it wasn't looking good for her. Whatever Titan's abilities were, it was clear that he was specifically designed to deal with Yang's strength. Topaz had made quick work of Gallium and was now assisting Nephrite. Meanwhile Sodium had managed to keep all of Team JANS at bay.

"When you're out in the real world, you'll be fighting hordes of countless Grimm." Penny had warned. "One of the most important skills to have is environmental awareness." She had said as she pulled out all of her swords. "Be ready to strike or defend from any angle. My unique ability makes me the world premiere instructor on nurturing this skill."

Nickel's mother couldn't be any righter. Zinc's sword was one weapon but its functions were vast. But compared to Penny's sword's they were elementary. Androids had advantageous in physical training. Their strength and speed were already at peak conditions. The only differences being how strong their motors were and that was determined by the designers of the body. Only someone with inhuman strength or speed, people like Ruby and Yang, could match an untrained android in contests of strength.

But Zinc hadn't figured it out yet. Her insistence on overpowering the smaller girl was proof. She hadn't yet realized that Nickel too was an android. So, a battle of androids was determined by their intelligence, their creative use of their powers. Zinc's ignorance was an advantage Nickel could afford to lose.

"If you can't keep up with my blades then you aren't ready for the fight against the Grimm." Penny had lectured as Nickel trained against her swords.

Compared to those blades, Zinc was nothing. Nickel proved that much as she deflected the saber, forcing it into the ground. She used Zinc's sword as a jumping point to deliver an axe kick to Zinc's head. Zinc tried turning invisible, but as a fellow sneaker, Nickel saw right through it.

She caught Zinc's saber in her shuriken. She turned the motor on full blast. The electricity from the blade shot out in all directions. Nickel stood resolutely. With a twist of her wrist, the saber snapped out of Zinc's hand. Within the timespan of the average heartbeat, Nickel slashed at Zinc's mask.

"How are you this strong?" She wailed. Nickel dodged the titanic punch. Androids also had strong auras. An aura had to be insanely strong to survive the transfer process. This would be a long fight, so it was important to stay cautious.

"Your ignorance proves that your Father is inferior." Nickel said, trying not to give much away.

"Father? I have no father." Zinc said. "I was built to be a soldier and that is it."

"So, your purpose is murder?" Nickel jumped out of the way of anther strike.

"My purpose is crushing any worms that stand in our way!" Zinc followed her into the air. Nickel flicked her sword to send the shuriken out. The wires that bound them wrapped around Zinc's wrist.

"Then you will die by my sword." Nickel kicked the saber away and delivered a heavy slash into Zinc's head.

"How…how can you see me?" She growled like an animal. Nickel whipped around and stabbed her through her side.

"How is it we know your name…Zinc?" Zinc's eye went wide. Nickel dodged the axe kick aimed for her head.

"It must be from our little operation in Atlas." Zinc surmised.

"Who did you steal from?" Nickel stood at the ready. Zinc rushed her and slashed at her side. Nickel blocked it but was caught with a punch then a kick.

"That Polendina woman!" Zinc said. "The android. We needed better machines to transfer better auras and more memories."

"So, you know that much." This time it was Nickel who went on the offensive. She used her semblance sparingly, just enough to make it look like she was moving faster than the eye could see.

"That explains how you know our names and abilities." Zinc moved to hack at her. Nickel bent around the vertical slice and sliced Zinc's arm off.

"It's over." Nickel said.

"How…how are you this…." Zinc tried kicking her in the face, Nickel blocked it. "Strong?" Nickel sliced Zinc's leg off.

"It's not about strength, but in a slug fest…my body is simply better than yours." Nickel sliced Zinc in half. "Because my Mother is the one you stole from."

"Your father and I designed your body ourselves." Penny gloated.

"That means you're already physically better than any average huntsman." Eos said. "So, we can spend all your time teaching you how wonderful this world is."

"Are you an android too, sister?" Nickel had asked.

"No, Helios and I are humans. We were adopted by Mom and Dad when we were still very little."

"Humans?" Nickel wondered what that word meant for the longest time. Eos always said it was a term for flesh and blood people without Faunas traits. Mother had scolded her on such trivial definitions. Nickel was human, just as her mother was human.

"I'm sorry." Penny had held her close. "I just wanted to have a child I could call my own. I wanted to save you, someone so young and sick without any family to take care of you. In my selfishness, I doomed you to the life of a synthetic human."

"Because I am not human, I am my Mother's precious creation!" Nickel said as she finished off her adversary. Nickel looked towards the plateau where Citrine and Eiess were fighting an entire lightning storm.

"I just know one day you'll have wonderful friends, just like I did." Penny had cheered her up one night. "When you've learned enough to actually talk with them, that is when I'll introduce you to all the wonderful people I've met."

Eiess was the first friend she had met. Even if it was by accident. She and Citrine were fighting bravely against their opponent. But they were failing to see how their tactic was doomed to fail. Citrine and Eiess were still in training, they still had a long way to go in physicality. Even if they grounded Copper, they'd still be over powered.

So, Nickel disappeared. While cloaked, she raced up to join them and quietly observed. She tried to remember everything she knew about technology. Namely, she tried remembering the principles of electricity and magnetism.

Citrine was on defense, blocking the lightning blasts that tried hitting Eiess. Eiess was throwing fire, ice and lightning blasts of her own. Nickel could tell this wasn't an ideal situation. Copper was too powerful for them. Citrine was likely fast enough with her semblance to outmaneuver Copper, but that would put Eiess in serious risk.

Once again secrecy was Nickel's greatest ally. She stayed out of the storm's range, her hyper-conductivity would put her at serious risk. Instead she threw her shuriken. The strings wrapped around Copper's body. Nickel quickly slammed her sword into the stone, grounding the electricity. But she wasn't able to let go before the electricity grabbed her.

"What?!" Copper yelled. Nickel had surmised that Copper was generating the electricity and using dust for the rest. With her own body's electricity now being forced through Nickel's weapon, she was open to attack. Nickel just had to bare the attack for a little while longer.

Eiess used a glyph to launch Citrine. The scythe wielder slammed Copper to the ground. Eiess enhanced herself with time dilation. With a swooping strike, she sliced through Copper's neck. Like any well-made android, Copper's soul retreated into its core so it didn't have to deal with the trauma of feeling dead but still being alive.

"We did it!" Citrine cheered as she pulled Eiess into a loving embrace.

"We're not out of the woods yet." Eiess said. The island shook as Yang continued to fight Titan. "Nickel!" Eiess screamed as she saw the android's sorry state. Nickel collapsed but Citrine caught her and eased her down.

"Too much…electricity…I'm afraid." Nickel choked out.

"Are you going to be all right?" Eiess asked.

"I…think so…just need rest." Nickel smiled. "I won…my battle and was able to help…my friends…" Saying that felt so good that she could surely have sweet dreams as she rested.

"Thank you." Eiess said.

 **AN: The original version of this match was Copper and Zinc fighting Nickel and Penny. I wanted to have Penny more involved in this arc, but honestly, she doesn't have anything to learn from this sort of fight. She already had her big existential "what makes me human" crisis during RWBYond Vale.**


	89. Sodium

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: Well, after the recent string of epic fights, continuing it with this fight seems like a mistake. It leads in better to the next two chapters, which is what I wanted. It's just, well, when you get to how they beat this person, all will be clear.**

Chapter 89: Sodium

Nova snapped her fingers to cast fire on her opponent. She didn't know what was pissing her off more, the fact that her team refused to let her fight on her own when she was clearly stronger than the rest, or the fact that even with their help this opponent was not making it easy for them.

"Why do I always get stuck with the tricky ones?" Johnny sneered.

"No one asked you to be here." Nova growled.

"Wait, I thought you always purposely matched yourself up with people like this because you're strong against it." Ariadne claimed.

"Hm." Johnny scoffed. Sodium aimed her canon and fired. Johnny intercepted it with a radiant beam. Nova took advantage of the beam struggle to jump over Johnny and kick Sodium in the face.

The kick landed and the beams disappeared. Nova slashed away at Sodium to no avail. The android danced around her savage strikes without breaking stride. Ariadne's music supplied extra oxygen to Nova's muscles. It was something Scott of all people had come up with to boost their abilities. And for Nova, it was a deadly combination. Her sweat drops were acidic and each movement spouted violet flames as she continuously funneled her maiden powers into her attacks.

Sodium remained silent. She hadn't made so much as a grunt the entire battle. Her face was fixed with a cruel smirk. That just made Nova angrier. This android was taunting her. Every unflinching moment was an insult to Nova's pride.

"I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face." Nova promised.

"Above you!" Johnny warned. Sodium burst into dust as Nova sliced through her. Before she could react, she felt the heavy canon batting down on her head. A knee went into her face. Sodium swept her off her feet and held her up in the air with her canon.

"Pull!" Scotland used his semblance to pull Nova out of the way as the canon blast went into the air. The back of Nova's head went into his hand.

"I didn't need your help." Nova scowled.

"Come on, I never get to use my semblance." Scott whined.

Meanwhile, Johnny was pushing forward. Sodium danced around him just as easily as she had danced around Nova. But whereas Nova flung her body wildly trying to overwhelm her opponent, Johnny was slower and methodical. Every punch was undoubtedly calculated beyond reproach by that insufferable head of his.

Ariadne changed her tune, calling seagulls to fly at Sodium. She tripped Johnny up and swatted the birds. As Johnny fell to the ground he used his level two attack, blasting the entire area with his light.

Sodium was blasted in the air. When she landed on the ground, Scott covered that area in a barrage of missile's. Sodium flipped through the air to dodge the blasts. Nova used the light and smoke from the explosion to cover her advance and she landed a kick to Sodium's chest.

Johnny was in place to combo off Nova's strike and land a punch to the android's face. Nova fired her grappling hook and it wrapped around Sodium's arm. The white-haired android yanked on the cord, pulling Nova into a sweeping kick.

Nova wrapped her tail around Sodium's leg and pulled it out from under her. Johnny sent a knee into the android's head. Nova slashed Sodium across the back, knocking her away and into the water.

Sodium never broke composure. If she didn't know any better, Nova would think Sodium was a true machine. From the glimpses, she caught of the other battles, the androids were fighting with just as much spirit as the huntsmen. But Sodium hadn't lost her smug smirk. Nova fired her gun but the image of Sodium shattered like glass.

"Ariadne!" Jonny ran away from the sea. Sodium dropped down on top of Ariadne and Scott. She batted Scott's armchair away and hit Ariadne in the throat. She doubled over as Sodium jammed the barrel of her gun into her stomach. Sodium fired, blasting Ariadne into the side of the plateau. Johnny tried to drop kick her but she slid out of the way.

"She's smoother than you." Scott huffed. "And she's cooler than Nephrite…on a good day."

"Shut up." Nova said as she dropped in. She could see Johnny's eyes were fixed on Ariadne. She was knocked out cold.

"She'll be fine." Johnny whispered to himself. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone.

"That brain of yours got any bright ideas?" Scott said. Sodium just stood in front of them, twirling her cannon around.

"If she's anything like me, we need to get into her head." Johnny said in a rare moment of transparency.

"But she's not saying anything." Scott said.

"Hey, you, bucket of bolts…come over here so we can kick your ass!" Nova challenged.

"Not exactly what I had in mind." Johnny said.

"We're going to send you to the scrap yard you waste of iron plates!" Nova continued.

"You're really bad at this." Scott said.

"Well, at least she's trying." Johnny admitted.

"Shut up and help me." Nova fumed.

"Huh." Scott said as he smirked. He held his hand out. A rock flew from behind Sodium and hit her in the head. The rock didn't do much but it did open up an opportunity for Scott to blast her with an arc caster.

Nova didn't miss a beat as she started twirling her swords around the android. Sodium's image shattered again but she was stopped by Johnny. For the first time in the battle, she wasn't smirking. Johnny's unusual talent at prediction and perception wiped the smirk off Sodium's face more than anything Nova had been able to do.

Johnny and Sodium locked hands. The smirk returned to her face. She bent her wrists and started snapping Johnny's fingers. As Johnny yelped in pain, she kicked him in the chin. Nova swung violently at her legs. She jumped over the swords.

"Kuso." Nova cursed.

"Pull!" Scott yelled. Sodium landed gracefully on the ground. Nova kept her advance as Johnny dropped to his knees. A minute of dancing around combat later, and Sodium's eyes went wide. She jumped backwards and her eyes went to Scott.

"What?" Nova looked at her snickering teammate. When she saw, what was in his hands, she about blew a fuse.

"Looky what I got." He twirled a pair of panties around his finger.

"Kuso yaro!" Nova ranted. Sodium ignored her and ran after him. When she was just a few feet away, Scott detonated his trap. The EMP field Deus had given them surrounded Sodium causing her to spark and convulse before falling to the ground. Scott must have planted it while she was preoccupied with

"Who knew all I'd have to do was swipe your panties with my semblance."

"Hentai!" Nova kicked Scott in the face.

"Hey, it worked." He huffed.

"How the hell did you grab something like that." Nova grabbed him by the collar.

"I uh…may have misled you about my powers." Scott put his hands up innocently. "It doesn't just pull. It can pull anything within a certain radius. I saw this android's panties when she kicked me…and then when Johnny said to get in her head…"

"Johnny." Nova shot daggers at her leader.

"Leave me out of this." He said, covering his face. Scott dropped Sodium's panties on her unconscious face and proceeded to dismantle her. Johnny knelt by Ariadne and moved her to a better position.

"Johnny?" Nova said.

"She's hurt because I couldn't speak fast enough." Johnny said. Nova's nostrils flared.

"You should be worried more about yourself than her."

"Is that what you think?"

"Your fingers are broken."

"I'll be fine."

"So, will she." Nova made her point. She started to walk away.

"It's alright to worry about someone besides yourself." Johnny lectured.

"When the battles still going on…it's better to just look out for yourself." She said. "Otherwise you get hurt like Citrine did before."

The entire island shook. A blast of white and yellow light shot in the air. Nova ran towards the center of the island. Citrine and Eiess joined her. Yang was across from Titan, blood dripped from her nose and forehead. Titan looked unflinching. Yang's left arm dangled uselessly at her side.

"Is that all you got?" Yang breathed out.

"All you know how to do is punch your way out of trouble." Titan said in a low bellow. He ran at her. Citrine, Eiess and Nova moved simultaneously to intercept him. If this guy was as strong as Yang, this could be her moment. Her moment to finally prove just how powerful she really was. And the other eldest daughters of Team RWBY were right beside her.

 **AN: Can you tell I was watching Konosuba when I first came up with this fight? Oh, and Sodium totally has Neo's soul. I didn't say it outright in the chapter because the name Neo means absolutely nothing to the members of Team JANS.**


	90. Titan

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: And now for a fight involving the android who is likely the strongest one in the entire group. I don't know how long this chapter will be since it's getting split in half.**

Chapter 90: Titan

As soon as the island shook from the impact of Yang and Titan's clash, Eiess and Citrine were on their way. They were a bit winded from their battle with Copper but Citrine was sure that they could give Yang the edge. So, just as it always happened, even when they were children, Eiess couldn't bring herself to refuse.

Citrine's eagerness was intoxicating. It's probably why the ever introverted Eiess had fallen so madly in love with her. Citrine always made her feel alive, like she could come out and the world wouldn't matter.

So, when Citrine was forced to block one of Titan's punches, and the blow was so hard that it sent shockwaves strong enough to knock Eiess off balance, she knew they were in trouble. Yang's hair was burning white, hair Arbiter mask was destroyed and she couldn't move her left arm but she popped a soldier pill and was ready for more.

"I'm not done with you yet." Yang said. Her body was surrounded in a burning aura that took the form of a raven.

"You still don't get it." Titan said with a grin. "You have nothing in your arsenal that can stop me. Fuel your punches with dust and aura all you want." Yang gave a battle cry as she focused all her power into an execution strike. The blow split the island as it hit Titan's arm. "You're only delaying the inevitable.

Eiess cast a glyph and sent a barrage of ice bolts into Titan's back. Yang elbowed him in the gut and threw him to the ground. Nova came down like a violet comet stabbing down at his head. As soon as she made contact, the Maiden energy that had surrounded her disappeared.

"What?" Nova gasped. Titan swatted at her but Citrine pulled her away just in time. Eiess summoned a trio of glyphs and twirled around to increase their size. Titan smashed the ground where Citrine and Nova were. Citrine scattered to his left and Nova dove to his right. Nova slashed at the back of his knee but the blades just bounced off.

Eiess launched her attack creating a massive blast of energy that engulfed Titan. The android was enshrouded in the white light. Seconds later, he waved his hand and the beam disappeared, having seemingly no effect.

"Energy attacks don't work." Yang warned.

"You couldn't warn us earlier?" Citrine shouted. She spun in the air and hit the giant in the face with her scythe.

"Aurum told me about you." Titan caught her weapon and slammed her down. Eiess launched herself towards them. "I guess you could consider us something like brothers. He never runs out of energy and I can steal it." Eiess thrust her left hand forward, all of the energy in the attack was meant to increase her hand speed, hoping that she could build enough momentum tp stab his eye out.

"Get your filthy hand off of her." Eiess ordered. The sword hit its mark. The glass eye was scratched but didn't break.

"Nice try." Titan mused as he grabbed her by the head. Eiess and Citrine both kicked at him, trying to break free as he held the in the air. Eiess felt her life draining from her. Her aura was meteorically declining.

"Melt!" Nova yelled.

"Gah!" Titan shouted and dropped the pair. Titan stumbled backward, clutching his face. When he removed his hand, the flesh on half his face was gone, revealing the dense metal alloy underneath.

"I'll give you an attack you can't absorb." Nova's body was surrounded in a searing acidic purple flame. Her eyes burned a brilliant shade identical to the flame but sparkling like stardust.

"Your magic may work on my flesh, but it's still no use." Titan taunted.

"We'll see about that." Nova said. "Citrine, Johnny." She said. Titan was engulfed in a blinding light. "Need to go fast." Citrine nodded. She backed away and scattered around Nova. Eiess hit them at the same time with time dilation. The Faunas scattered into rose petals. Citrine's petals became imbued with Nova's magic. The blow was focused on a single point.

The ground shook as Nova and Citrine bounced into the face of the plateau. Titan's arm fell to the ground. Citrine and Nova had drilled through it. He didn't look beaten, just absolutely livid. He turned towards them. Eiess summoned a griffon to hold him off, but the summoning was destroyed in the blink of an eye.

"Get out of here kids." Yang stepped between the android and Citrine.

"Just because we've both lost use of an arm, doesn't make us even." Titan growled.

"We can still fight." Citrine got back up and Nova followed suit.

"I'll hold him off, go and get your mother." Yang said.

"But…" Citrine protested.

"I'll go." Johnny said. "He doesn't look interested in making the first move. And my abilities are basically useless. Even if he was completely deactivated, my punches and kicks wouldn't do anything and my weapon only fuels his powers."

"Feeling really dumb for using our secret weapon earlier." Scott said.

"The point is, Ms. Xiao Long with all due respect, we have too many people hurt and unable to move for you to hold him off."

"I'll go with you." Scott said. "We can take my hover chair." The two of them ran off. Titan's eyes followed them.

"Well then…if the Spring Maiden is on her way…it's time to finish this." Titan started walking forward.

"That's close enough!" Yang punched him one more time. He caught her prosthetic arm and tore it to pieces. He kicked her in the chest, blasting her into the plateau. Yang tried pushing herself on her feet but she collapsed.

"The two of you are coming with me." Titan marched forward. Eiess swung at the back of his neck. Her blade cut through the fleshy covering but couldn't make a dent in the robotic shell. Titan backhanded her into Citrine and both their aura's broke. But that wasn't all. Eiess felt a snap in her arm from Titan's blow. And her nose broke when she went face first into Citrine's head.

"I'll melt you before you take another step!" Nova promised. She pulsated with magic again.

"Nova…stop." Citrine groaned.

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"Stubborn brat." Titan said. Acidic clones and spheres of energy hit him, melting the skin off his body.

"You can absorb aura, you can absorb dust, but there's a limit to how much magic you can take." She stomped her foot on the ground. Titan's flesh was seared from his android body. Parts of his body started to drip from the impossible heat. Then, suddenly, it stopped.

"You Maidens really are amazing." A voice called out. A dark skinned man in a stealth suit twirling a giant boomerang dropped next to Titan.

"Lithium?" Titan said.

"Good thing I got here when I did." Lithium said. Tattoos were glowing along his face and body.

"I didn't need your help." Titan claimed.

"The fact that your body has literally softened proves otherwise." Lithium tapped the larger androids arm. "Summer Maiden, your special trait is to melt anything that gets in your way. Even something made of the strongest, most heat resistant material."

"What's happening?" Nova dropped to her knees and started hyperventilating. She fell to the ground and started convulsing.

"I'm designed to take down Maidens, specifically, you." Lithium laughed. Eiess tried to get up but could hardly move.

"I'll grab her." Titan said. "Just focus on keeping her power sealed." Titan started moving forward. When he reached to grab her off the ground, someone dropped down and delivered an axe kick to his head. Another figure kicked him in the face, forcing him back.

"Did someone call for a hero?" Verdant dropped in and stood confidently. Tetsu stood next to him with his sword already drawn.

 **AN: New people arrive, or return from the Huntsmen Games arc. What's going to happen? Check back tomorrow to find out. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Place. Oh, and update on what I've been getting into, finished Samurai Jack, finishing Konosuba pretty soon. Then it'll be onward to Mob Psycho 100 and Jojo's.**


	91. Pledge of Undying Spirit

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: Some fun facts about this chapter, I wanted to have it be later, but I moved it up when I decided on where Nova is going to be in the final battles.**

Chapter 91: Pledge of Undying Spirit

The world was blurry for Citrine. Eiess had just face planted into her. The heiress was crippled on the ground with hazy eyes. Citrine grabbed her hand and tried to stand. Eiess pulled her back down.

"I won't let you keep fighting in your current state." Eiess said.

"What are you talking about?" Citrine said. She looked at her scroll and saw her aura had been completely depleted. Not only that but a new android had appeared. Nova was convulsing on the ground. Titan had no more skin left. And, on the bright side, Verdant and Tetsu had arrived.

"Leave her alone!" Verdant yelled as he dashed towards Lithium. Just from his speed, Citrine could tell he was wearing his weights. He spun and kicked Lithium, but the blow was ineffective. Tetsu dashed forward in time to block Lithium's weapon before it could hit Verdant.

"Lee, leave this one to me." Tetsu said. Lithium split the boomerang into twin swords. Tetsu caught the free sword in his hand. "You androids aren't so different from myself." His semblance kicked in, covering his body in a steel coat. "We're made of sturdier stuff than the average person."

"What are you doing here?" Nova cried out.

"We were in the area and saw the explosion." Verdant answered. "It's a good thing too." He stood at the ready against Titan.

"Energy attacks won't work on him." Yang warned.

"Good thing that energy attacks aren't my style." Verdant answered. He ran at Titan. His blows were slow but heavy and still fast enough to avoid Titan's counter attacks. Meanwhile Tetsu clashed blades with Lithium, and was gaining ground.

Verdant kept pace with Titan. He dodged all the android's blows, but wasn't gaining any headway. He delivered an axe kick to Titan's head, then an elbow to his stomach before using the android's own weight to throw him down. He spun in the air and drop-kicked Titan in the head. He bounced in the air long enough for Titan to backhand him.

"Lee!" Tetsu called. He blocked a pair of strikes from Lithium and tried to flank him. Lithium parried his sword strike and slashed him in the head.

"I'm fine." Verdant said as he spat blood.

"Your aura is already depleted." Titan boasted.

"That's where you're wrong." Verdant called back.

"Look at you, from that one blow, you're spitting blood."

"Is that so?" Verdant smiled.

"You must have a weak aura." Titan laughed.

"Well…even so…I will become a great huntsman…even without being able to project aura."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?"

"I mean I haven't even gotten started yet." Verdant ran at Titan again.

"Keep running at me. You're only delaying the inevitable." Verdant jump kicked Titan. The android intercepted the kick with an uppercut that sent Verdant skyward. "The more you fight the worst it's going to be when you lose."

"Verdant!" Nova groaned. Verdant disappeared in the blinding sun. Then, something hit Titan's fist and forced him off balance. In a blink, Verdant punched him in the face, knocking him backwards.

"Weighted training gear?" Titan said. Verdant pulled him in to a blinding punch.

"He's amazing." Eiess said. "Nova…wouldn't you…" Nova was still struggling to even breathe right. "I have an idea." Eiess crawled next to Nova and started emptying dust around her. "Tetsu, try to give me a good look at his markings!"

"This guy isn't exactly a walk in the park!" Tetsu hollered as he flung lightning from his sword.

"I think I know the seal he's using." Yang grumbled as she knelt by Nova and Eiess. Yang showed them a pamphlet. "Levi used a similar seal to torture the Fall Maiden, and take Ruby's powers away when he attacked Vale the first time."

"I see." Eiess looked studious. "I might be able to calculate a reverse sigil, but it'll take some time. The best we can do is wait for Lithium to be defeated or run out of range."

"Eiess." Nova groaned with tears in her eyes.

"It shouldn't have any lasting effects." Eiess said soothingly. "Just hold on."

"Hang tight Nova." Verdant slid in. "I swear on my life that I will protect you."

"Verdant…" Nova choked out.

"You are all precious allies…I will not allow any of us to fall in a place like this. For life, love, and undying spirit…" He winked at Nova, causing her to blush. "I will strike down this monstrosity with my own power."

"Why You!" Titan ran at them. "Your body has its limits. You'll never be able to achieve the same feats as an android." Verdant intercepted him and kicked him in the chest. His hands blazed through the air as he pummeled Titan's body. His fists caught fire as he moved around at blinding speeds that gave Citrine's keen eyes a run for their money.

"Without semblance." Verdant focused in on a single point, only moving away from that point to dodge attacks. "Without dust." His body became red. The sound of his fists hitting Titan became increasingly hollow. "I will show you there's no limit to what humans can do!"

Verdant was getting more aggressive with his punches. Citrine wondered how long he could keep going. His body was completely red and his grieves blackened from fire with his movements. He was using that friction to increase the power of his blows until he broke through. The point he had been hammering at had more than dented. He had punched all the way through.

"Damn you!" Titan cursed. Energy poured out of every hole in his body.

"Now for one last strike." Verdant backed up and punched the air. The wind pressure from his fist launched like a dust attack.

"Energy attacks won't work!" Citrine yelled.

"Valiant Smash!" Verdant named the technique. Titan caught the blow.

"A…physical…attack…?" Titan's arm disintegrated. Verdant closed the distance and caught all the wind pressure, condensing it into one final blow that obliterated Titan.

"I already told you…I can't outwardly manifest my aura." Verdant said. As Titan's pieces fell to the ground, Verdant dropped to his knees. His arm was burnt and crippled. Tetsu slid along the ground. Lithium kicked and bashed him with his weapon.

"Now die." Lithium raised his blade to finish him off. Then he jumped back as a massive green beam zoomed across the island. Ruby and August dropped in.

"Every time I turn my back, you people are after my kids." Ruby said coldly. "How cowardly are you!" Rose petals erupted around her and were charged by various elements. Lithium's body began to glow. Ruby burst into petals and grabbed him by the throat. "Don't think your seals will save you."With a flick of her finger she blasted him into the water.

"Retreat." Lithium said.

"Cowards!" An entire jungle rose to ensnare them. But all of the androids that hadn't been completely destroyed disappeared. Nova's breathing eased.

"Thank you, Mrs. Ruby." Tetsu got up and gave a bow.

"Thank you Tetsu Raion." Ruby said. She walked over to Verdant. "You fought well, Verdant Lee."

"Well?" Yang said. "He was amazing."

"Hight praise from my sister is not easily won." Ruby patted him on the head. "Rest easy." She walked over to the girls. August gathered Nickel, Topaz, Ariadne and Nephrite.

"This is all of them." August said.

"So many people got hurt." Citrine felt a tear in her eye. "Mom, I fought as hard as I could…"

"I know sweetie." Ruby held her close. "It's over now."

"More will likely come." August said. "It'll be up to us if they come back."

"I know." Ruby said. She looked Citrine in the eye. "But we found it. We found the Temple of Creation. I was about to go inside when Johnny and Scott called us." Ruby grabbed Eiess' arm and started healing it with her magic.

"Heal me next." Yang said.

"Your arm is destroyed." Ruby said. "You're not going to be up for fighting until we get that thing repaired."

"Damn." Yang cursed.

"We're all safe now." Ruby said. "I'll give everyone a while to recuperate. Then, we'll take the ship to the temple."

"Then we'll be one step closer to ending this journey." Topaz said.

"We need to find their base." Citrine said. "We need to take them out before they can hurt anyone else."

"Tetsu." Ruby said.

"Yes Mrs. Ruby." He said.

"Take Verdant and meet back up with your team. Take as much of this scrap with you as you can. Then get in contact with Rubrum Snappes in Atlas, he'll be able to track the origin of these androids."

"Yes ma'am." He bowed.

"And let him know his daughter is safe." Eiess said. "Nickel sacrificed herself to help Citrine and myself. She…she got overwhelmed with that Copper person's lightning." Tears formed in her eyes. Citrine's heart went out to her, and their alloy ally.

"It's no one's fault." Citrine said. "This is what it's like to be a huntress." She grabbed Eiess' hand.

"You're right." Ruby said solemnly.

"Why do you sound so sad?" Citrine asked. Ruby sat down next to her.

"I always loved the idea of being a hero. I thought I learned what that meant when I was about your age. Then I learned how to balance life as a hero and life as a mother and wife." She looked at Nova. "That's a hard lesson to learn."

"Nova." Citrine sighed, thinking of Nova and her mother.

"But every huntsman I've ever met was already well on their way when I met them. It…it wasn't until I saw you fight in the Huntsmen Games…that I realized it."

"Realized what?"

"I feel guilty. I prided myself on my power and inspired countless youths to follow in my footsteps. Many of them would have chosen this path regardless but…I've known all of you your entire lives. It's hard…seeing my baby girl…and the children of my most precious friends fighting for their lives. Now I know why so many parents don't want their children to become heroes." Citrine wrapped an arm around her mother.

"We're here now though. And as an Argentware, I have a duty to use my powers for good. Same with Argent. Prim and Glade made their decisions a long time ago and Gelb…"

"Is still too young to decide." Ruby sighed. "I miss them. I miss your father and siblings."

"I do too." Citrine said. "Is it always like this?"

"Why do you think I get so affectionate when I return from missions?" Ruby kissed Citrine on the cheek. "It's the same with your mom." Ruby said to Eiess.

"Ahem." Eiess nodded.

"When this mission is over…I think, we should take a vacation to Atlas." Ruby said. "Have one big slumber party in Schnee Manor."

"I'd like that." Eiess blushed as she curled up next to Citrine.

 **AN: Things are going to settle down again…for about one chapter before fights start happening yet again. Things have been coming along nicely for this arc.**


	92. Temple of Creation

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: Massive exposition dump in this chapter. Thankfully I did a bit of the dumping during that Cinder chapter a while back. So, it hopefully won't be too top heavy.**

Chapter 92: Temple of Creation.

By the time Nova woke up, they had already made it to the Temple of Creation. Ruby had carried her on her back for the trip. She still felt dazed and exhausted from overusing her powers in the battle.

"Where…where's Verdant?" Nova asked.

"Miss him already?" Scott teased.

"No I…I just never got a chance to say thanks." The fact that she owed the Mistralian her life made a deep pit in her stomach. She was finding that she didn't like owing people.

"So, what are you expecting to find in there?" Johnny asked.

"Lord willing…a powerful relic." Ruby approached the temple.

"I want to go with you." Citrine said.

"Very well." Ruby said without protest. "Anyone else want to?"

"I do." Nova said.

"I'll go." Eiess said.

"What about you Johnny?" Citrine asked. "You love places like this."

"I don't think I should." Johnny stammered as he stared at the temple. "Um…if anything dangerous comes…I'm one of the few people who are still in good condition."

"Suit yourself." Citrine said. Nova detected something off about his tone. He'd always acted strangely. But ever since this journey started, and especially after Ariadne got hurt…he'd seemed distant.

Nova, Citrine and Eiess followed Ruby into the temple. Inside was a long hallway. There were torches lining the wall. Ruby used her magic to light one on fire and use it to navigate the empty hallway.

"This place is creepy." Eiess shivered. Bones of monsters lined the corridor.

"Maybe we'll run into a geist." Citrine spooked as she ran her hand up Eiess' back.

"Don't say things like that." Eiess panicked. The torch made the glyphs and drawings on the wall apparent.

"Glyphs?" Nova said.

"Ancient civilizations used glyphs as their written language." Eiess informed. "Ancient dust users discovered that arranging dust in certain patterns created different affects. Ancient mages then used those arrangements as a language."

"Like how music is its own language?" Citrine asked.

"That's a good way to put it." Eiess perked up. "Aunt Winter said it was a secret code between mages."

"So, what are they saying?" Citrine asked.

"I can only make out a few. Heal and repulse keep getting repeated." She pointed out. "Those are two of the four simplest glyphs you can do. Every dust based ability springs off of repulse, heal, bolt and slide."

"There are only a few people in existence that could translate such ancient glyphs." Ruby said.

"My mom probably could." Eiess shrugged.

"She'd certainly be a contender." Ruby said. "I just know this stuff means something and I have no idea what."

They entered a room with a large mural. It depicted thousands of people fighting an ominous shadow. The drawing looked primitive, like the ones on Vacuo's older ruins. But there was something strange about the image. There seemed to be something missing from all the drawings.

"There's no Faunas." Nova said.

"No…this was likely made before Faunas were created…or had interactions with humans rather."

"What do you mean by that?" Nova asked but Ruby remained silent. She had been under the impression that Faunas predate humans.

The next room had an elaborately carved floor. There were statues of monsters lining the walls of the circular room. The largest was a beowolf, then a nevermore, an ursa, a nemian, a basilisk, a taijitu and a proteus. The engraving on the floor was a rose with vines and thorns tearing away at the monsters.

"A rose?" Citrine said as she looked at her mom.

"There's a similar pattern in the temple of Puerto Nuevo, on Menagerie." Ruby informed.

"Which means this place had to be made sometime after the first hunters destroyed the Hecatonchires." Citrine said.

"Seems that way." Ruby sighed. "We know the relics were hidden here after Avis Bran's supposed death. The hair on Nova's neck stood strait. She reached for her sword but there was nothing. She kept her hand on her hilt the rest of the trip into the heart of the temple.

"I thought we'd run into something by now." Citrine said.

"This does seem too easy." Ruby said.

"It is easy for I cleared the path for you." A gravelly voice proclaimed. The room lit up. In the back of the room was a spiraling stone structure. Standing before it and on an alter was a large man.

"Who are you?" Ruby said as she reached for her weapon.

"Welcome Maiden of Spring and Maiden of Summer." He said. "I am Ruda, the Guardian of Fire, keeper of this temple." His skin looked made of stone. He held a massive sledge hammer in his hands. His head was like that of an ox with horns coming out of his head. "Welcome to the Temple of Creation."

"You're made out of stone." Eiess said.

"Perceptive daughter of Winter." Ruda stated.

"Actually, Winter is my aunt." Eiess replied. Ruda looked confused.

"Psst…he means you're descended of a winter maiden." Ruby whispered. "All the Schnees are descended from the original Winter Maiden."

"Daughter of Winter." Ruda repeated. "Ha, I see. Forgive these old eyes. I can merely see the power inside of you. Diluted ever so slightly but your family is still strong Schnee."

"Still?"

"Yes…it was actually one of your ancestors that helped create me. But it was the Spring and Summer Maidens who gave me life so that I could watch over Spring's precious relic until the end of time. O until it was needed once again."

"Using the Creation Relic, no doubt." Ruby said.

"No doubt. Tell me, Argentware…what brings you here?"

"Avis Bran has returned." Ruby informed.

"Has he now." Ruda sighed.

"We needed to beat him to the relics or a lot more people are going to get hurt." Citrine said.

"I see." Ruda said. "But in hands like his, it's not enough to hold one relic. And having too many could earn the wrath of those in place to keep tyrants from rising. I'm sorry, I can't just give you the relic."

"A test then?" Ruby guessed.

"When the powers that be hid the relics away they came up with numerous safeguards. They hid them in the corners of the world. They wiped the islands off of maps. They instructed the guardians to keep them safe. And they created a trial that only the concurrent maiden could handle. Should she fail the test, I will be obliged to eliminate her."

"I won't fail." Ruby said.

"Confidence is an admirable trait. Know this, that as the Guardian of Fire I am specifically designed to combat all your powers."

"Like each season submits to the next." Ruby said. "Summer is strong against Spring. So, I take it you have powers similar to that."

"And so much more." Ruda said. Nova's heart soared with the possibility of surpassing Ruby.

"What about the other guardians?" Citrine asked.

"The term guardian has many connotations." Ruda lectured. "The Guardian of Remnant's purpose is to inspire people against the Grimm. More often than not, said guardian is an Argentware."

"I held that title during the Grimm War." Ruby said. "Even before I knew about my Maiden powers…Ozpin had his eye on me as the last of the Argentware. Only he was mistaken."

"Last?" Ruda said.

"For a while, my family, the Rose line, was thought to be the last of our kind. Over eighteen years ago we discovered that wasn't true. An Argentware named Levi Seerlivey is working for Avis Bran."

"Seerlivey…so it was a trick this whole time."

"What do you mean?" Nova asked.

"It was Aero Seerlivey who slew Avis Bran in the first place." Ruda said. "But it looks like she merely sealed his soul away to be restored later. Moving on to the other guardians. Sahasrala, the Guardian of Earth, a man with a semblance to come back from death by regenerating his body, protects the Free Will Relic. Only the Winter Maiden can pass his test. Arancia, Guardian of Wind was to safeguard the Knowledge Relic, but Avarice thought it better to split that relic in two."

"The Eyes of Truth." Ruby said.

"He split them long before the time of man. It was more convenient for him to keep it split, then to fuse them and hide them."

"Helps that he wanted to keep one for himself." Ruby huffed.

"Only the Summer Maiden can bring the two halves together again. That leaves Zora, Guardian of Water to protect the Destruction Relic. She is like me, an artificial human made of dust."

"And Arancia?" Citrine asked.

"Never met him." Ruda stated. "I just know he isn't like Zora and myself."

 **AN: The plot thickens. Next chapter is going to continue the exposition train from a different end and lead into the next batch of fights.**


	93. Test of the Relic

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: I feel like I messed up. It wasn't until I sat down to write this chapter, that I realized I hadn't thought up what the relics will look like. I just pictured them as typical orbs, but that's so boring. Luckily, I'm good at thinking on my feet.**

Chapter 93: Test of the Relic

Topaz had dozed off the minute they got to the temple. It didn't take long to slip into a lucid dreamscape. As she awoke in the dream, she was surrounded by a familiar set of dark clouds. She was dreaming of where she had met Arancia.

"Oh, Topaz, you're so close." Arancia greeted her.

"I…we made it to the temple." Topaz said.

"I have seen that much." Arancia chuckled. His leathery mask continued to move a split second after his head would move. Even so, his face was completely engulfed in shadow.

"Would have been here earlier if not for those androids." Topaz huffed.

"So, I've heard." Arancia said.

"Am…am I really dreaming?" Topaz asked.

"Yes and no." Arancia answered after a moment's pause. "To your colleagues, you are asleep but your mind is here. It's an ability I have access to."

"Well, don't do it too often." Topaz crossed her arms. "So, what do you want?"

"Did you remember to bring the Spring Maiden with you?"

"Yes. She's in the temple now."

"Good, good, then as we speak she must be conversing with Ruda, the Guardian of Fire."

"Who?"

"It's of no concern. Ruby Rose will pass the test with flying colors, I'm sure of it."

"Test? What test?"

"Didn't I say? What, you really didn't think you'd just waltz in and take it?"

"When you say it like that…"

"Only the Spring Maiden can unlock the safe containing the Relic of Creation. Once she's in, she will have to journey to Oblivion, alone."

"What kind of test is it?" Topaz asked.

"A simple series of trials. Make sure she's strong enough, smart enough, just enough, that sort of thing. As the Hero of Remnant, Ruby has already passed more difficult trials."

"Is that all you wanted to say?" Topaz asked.

"I could tell you more about the relics." Arancia shrugged.

"What do…they look like?" Topaz wondered.

"A ruby crown, a golden cross, a silver blade, an emerald staff. These are the relics used by the Wizard of Remnant. Hidden by his apprentice Ozpin."

"Some of this sounds familiar."

"Well, you've likely heard legends of these relics in their own isolated stories." Arancia reasoned. "Or perhaps, as an example, all items made of Redstone are cheap imitations of the Relic of Knowledge. Made from the same otherworldly material but lacking the imbued power of the Eyes of Truth, let alone the crown they form when joined together."

"And silver blades are the same way?"

"Blades of Abraham…though similar are fundamentally different in origin."

"How so?"

"The Relic of Destruction is said to be a blade formed from the heavens and the earth. It's a sword that is unbreakable and with enough strength, can cut through anything. Blades of Abraham are only nigh indestructible and exist only to destroy monsters and seal them away. They are made from the soul of Abraham, the first hunter. He feared what would become of Remnant without his power, so he used his own semblance to seal his own soul away in a piece of cloth called the King's Chart. With that, any Argentware can call upon his semblance to fight monsters, as well as create their own personal sword."

"Or a sword for a friend." Topaz finished. "There are seven of them, right?"

"At this moment."

"Citrine's dad's sword…"

"Corcea Mors. Created by Raymond Rose, and forged by Acacia Glens as a gift to Arthur Arc."

"Raven Branwen's sword…"

"Created in an uncharacteristic moment of passion for Nevermore. Summer Rose was using the King's Chart to fight King himself. Raven took one of the falling blades and it formed a blade suited to her weapon."

"The sword used by that bastard Dagger…"

"A sword formed by Aloe Rose as a gift to his son Raymond."

"The knife that Avis was sealed in."

"Created by Aero Seerlivey for that very purpose."

"That Vile guy has one."

"Levi Seerlivey. Though, I don't know exactly how it was made, I do know Archibald Damocles is the one who took the raw metal and forged it into the weapon it became."

"That leaves two." Topaz said as she looked at Arancia.

"Well…don't expect me to have all the answers."

"You're overly knowledgeable about this stuff." Topaz reminded him.

"I don't know where they are now." Arancia said. "One of them is a blade that splits in two. It's the oldest of all blades. Not the first, but the only one still existing from those ancient times. Forged by one of Abraham's children. The other is a hook forged by Violet Rose shortly before her…untimely death. A dozen more have been forged, only to be completely destroyed for one reason or another."

"Topaz!" A voice echoed.

"That's your cue to return to the waking world." Arancia said. "Take care Topaz Azul. I'll meet you again when the Relics are in hand."

The world faded away and Topaz returned to consciousness. Nephrite and Scott were both sitting next to her. Johnny was staring out at the coast, staring at his weapon. Ariadne had regained consciousness. August stood by the entrance to the temple.

"What's up?" Topaz said.

"You were mumbling in your sleep." Scott said.

"I was?"

"Yeah, seemed to put Johnny on edge too." He laughed.

"Scott…does something seem…off about Johnny?" Topaz asked.

"Not any more than usual." Scott leaned in. "He acts all cool and tough but I think he's superstitious and spooks easily from the littlest things." He whispered.

"Alright." Topaz said as she sat up. She looked to August and Yang. She wondered if she should tell them about Arancia. Just as she was about to, Citrine and Eiess came out of the temple.

"Where's Ruby." August asked.

"She has to take some test." Citrine said. "We decided to come out here and let you know."

"See anything interesting?" Yang asked.

"I guess you could say that." Eiess sighed.

"So, it looks like we're cooling our heels here until she's done." Citrine said.

"I got a message from my old teammate saying they received the scrap we sent them and are working on locating the origin of those androids." August informed.

"Excellent." Citrine pounded her hand. "We should gather people and hit them there next."

"I agree." August said. "But it's your mothers call…and she's far more forgiving than I."

"Someone's coming." Johnny said. Nephrite closed her eyes and breathed.

"Three people, all androids." She said. Citrine gulped.

"Three?" Citrine stuttered.

"Stand back." August said.

The three androids dropped to the ground. Topaz recognized them from their description, Aurum, Argentum and Wolfram. The same three androids that had fought Citrine and the others before.

"Not these guys again." Ariadne groaned.

"Can Ruby Rose come out to play?" Argentum asked with glee.

"No." August stepped forward. "She's undergoing a trial and much to busy to deal with you punks. Your opponent will be me."

"You?" Aurum said. "Against all of us."

"Yes, against all of you."

"August, please let me help." Yang insisted.

"And what are you going to do?" Aurum pointed. "You one-armed bimbo." Yang's eyes flashed red.

"Oh, you gotta let me pound this bastard's face in now!" Yang fumed.

"You're in no position to fight to the fullest." August said.

"And you are? I bet you couldn't even beat me." Aurum boasted. "Let alone all three of us."

"Want to put that to a wager?"

"You have some brass balls." Aurum said. "Alright, and to make it fair, Iron Tower style. One-on-one through the three of us. First me, then Argentum."

"Sounds fine by me." August said.

"But if any of you think about jumping in…we'll all gang up on him." Aurum warned.

"It's a deal." August pointed out a small island in eye sight. "We'll go there."

"It is a bit crowded on this little meeting area." Argentum said. Topaz knew August was playing to his strengths. He prided himself on his ability to fight anywhere, but open spaces were optimal for his semblance. They were playing right in his hand.

Topaz had grown up with stories, like all children on Remnant. August was the leader of her parent's team. His every exploit and feat were the stuff of legend to her. She knew how strong her parents were, and to think that August was on par with them…he was allegedly among the top ranks of heroes. The one who taught Ruby how to fight in the air. The one who led Operation Gold Standard and countless other battles throughout the war. Against these androids, he'd be the ultimate test. But Topaz wasn't dumb. She knew August didn't have to win outright. He just had to kill time. And as a fighter who didn't have any big bombastic moves…time was always on his side.

 **AN: It's been too damn long since I've let August kick some ass. Maybe one day I'll bring Rio or Natalie back for a big fight…but don't count on it. This isn't the kind of story that centers around fan service for people who read my previous work.**


	94. Golden Gauntlet

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: I've been looking forward to this chapter for so long. I had a long debate with myself how to frame the fight though, because I needed it to have some distance from the group, but I want to show the fight and the gang's reactions to it.**

Chapter 94: The Golden Gauntlet

Nephrite could feel the four presences touch down on the nearby island. She focused and strained her power to see as much as she could but it was still fuzzy. Her emotions still hadn't recovered from the stress and trauma she'd been suffering all this time.

"Come on, where did I put it?" Scott mumbled as he dug in his backpack.

"Put what?" Topaz asked.

"There we go!" Scott said.

"Wait, that's…" Yang started.

"Aerial Logistics Surveillance." Scott said with a smile. "Or ALS for short. Picked it up when we were in Blackwater Labs."

"With that, we could watch the fight." Eiess said.

"Yeah, a pro huntsman fighting all out, is not something I want to miss." Scott through the drone into the air and started to control it. Ariadne set up a display screen so they could watch.

"Without a full computer, we can't do anything but watch." Eiess said.

"Hm, first time I used one of these was during the Siege of Vale." Yang said. On the display, Argentum and Wolfram were sitting on a couple rocks. Aurum was standing proudly while August stretched.

"I hope you're actually going to go through with this, instead of just kill time." Aurum said.

"I've been wanting to put you to the test for some time now." August said.

"I'm flattered. So, flattered that, I'm going to enjoy putting you to the ground. Last time I fought a huntsman, it didn't go so well for him."

"That huntsman was nothing compared to me."

"Well shit man, if I didn't know any better…I'd say you were kind of a dick." In a flicker, August closed the distance and punched Aurum in the gut.

"He's fast." Johnny said.

August unleashed a flurry of strikes to Aurum's abdomen and followed up with a kick to the side and a spinning kick to the head. Aurum went into a full back handspring but August swept his hands out from the ground, kicked his chest and punched him in the head.

"And he's relentless." Citrine gawked.

Aurum used a laser blast to distract August and gain some distance. August pulled out his weapons, Twin Talos, and sashed Aurum across the chest. He fought circles around Aurum. The android was on the defensive the whole time. A whole minute passed with Aurum unable to even move as August kept spinning a tight circle around him.

"I can barely keep up." Ariadne said.

"This is how a pro fights." Nephrite said. Her mind wandered to her father. At its base, August's weapon and fighting style was similar to Ren's. Fluid movement, perfect control, a style that works with their weapon and without it. Nephrite focused on the screen. As far as learning lessons and fighting styles went, August was the closest thing to her father. But even on the screen Nephrite could tell that August was much, much better.

August went in for a stab. Aurum managed to evade and catch the arm. His grip tightened and his fist started glowing as he unleashed a devastating punch to August's gut. He grabbed the bird Faunas by the head and delivered several haymakers to the huntsman's body. With blinding speed and precision August countered the grip and put Aurum in a head lock.

"Hopped up little pricks like you give me a headache." August said. "You don't deserve this kind of strength. It's wasted on you." He seethed.

"Deserve…people don't deserve strength." Aurum retorted. He tried blasting August in the face and landed a kick as the grip broke. He and August locked hands. "People are born, or in my case made, with certain gifts and talents. Those talents dictate the social hierarchy. People don't change, not really."

"People always strive to be better." August retorted as they began a contest of strength.

"To nurture and develop the talents given to them. As an android, I'm already at my peak. Wolfram may be the toughest, Lithium, the strategist, Titan the strongest, and Argentum the best at range…but I am the golden child of the Tomorrow People."

"Then it's fate that made us fight."

"I like the sound of that." Aurum began putting in an effort and pushing August back. "You're strong for a human, but you're no match for my superior might."

"You think strength will be enough? There will be no victory in strength." August shifted his weight and threw Aurum away. The android rolled to his feet only to be hit by a flying kick.

"How did he move like that?" Nephrite wondered.

"His semblance allows him to fly in any direction so long as he's moving." Topaz said.

Without even giving a heartbeat's worth of a pause, Aurum's body started sparking from a device August placed on him. August didn't even let the device run its course. He flew in and started pummeling Aurum. Each blow was strong, fluid and aimed to kill a normal human.

"He's kinda fighting like a villain." Nephrite said.

"He does that sometimes." Yang said.

"Damn! August just might pull this off." Topaz said.

"We'll see." Johnny said flatly.

Aurum pulsed with power to break the electric binding. August kicked him up in the air and pulled out some string. The string surrounded Aurum. There were dozens of grenades linked to the string.

"You move stealing…" Yang muttered.

"SHIT!" Aurum yelled as the wires tightened around him and the grenades exploded.

"You totally stole that from Kurome!" Yang yelled at the screen. "Figures after she's broken your arm with her tricks so many times." She mumbled.

August didn't even wait for the smoke to clear before he kept up the assault. He slammed Aurum to the ground. The android bounced right back up and punched August in the face. They started trading blows from there, it was in those moments that everyone felt something off.

"Aurum's aura level is still full!" Nephrite shouted.

"Are you serious?!" Yang said.

"That's impossible." Topaz said.

"No." Nickel groaned.

"Nickel?" Eiess helped the android up.

"I wondered how Aurum operated." Nickel said. "Remember our previous encounters? It's obvious…the thing that makes Aurum so deadly…is he has a way to recharge his abilities."

"Damn it!" Yang said.

"Yang, you've seen him fight more than any of us." Topaz said. "What are his chances?"

"Aurum's direct." Yang said. "That's the best kind of opponent for him. We've sparred multiple times. Even though I'm stronger and faster than him, he always peels me like a banana. But…the longer this goes on the more his chances slim. He needs to do something fast or he's not even going to make it past Aurum."

Where just moments earlier August was overwhelming him, they were now on equal footing. Aurum maintained his composure as August became more ragged. The Faunas slashed him with a moon slice, creating a small gash in Aurum's chest. Aurum took the blow in stride and kicked August in the chest.

"Mom, where are you?" Citrine started to pray. Johnny clinched his fists and grit his teeth.

"You can feel it, can't you?" Aurum boasted as August delivered another series of kicks to his chest and face. Aurum parried the blow only to be shot repeatedly by August's pistols. Aurum slapped August away and both fighters punched each other in the face, knocking each other back.

"This is not good." Johnny seathed.

"I have to admit bird man, you…are…tough to put down."

"I've actually been enjoying myself." August's breathing was heavy.

"Skills like yours would be perfect for an android. Kinda surprised you aren't with that strength and precision."

"I won't settle for being at the 'peak' as you called it." August wiped blood from his mouth. "I'm going to keep flying higher and higher."

"Well if you get high enough…don't be surprised if you melt in the sun."

"There's only one sun that'll melt him." Yang mumbled with a blush.

"Unlike me, you have a limit to your energy. I have a boundless spirit. Only way to outdo me is to…well…completely outdo me." Nephrite felt a dark presence enter her field of vision. A dark, malice radiating with an oozy purple aura.

"Someone is coming." Nephrite said. The speakers on ALS started picking up laughter. August and Aurum both looked to a medium-sized rock formation.

"No." Ariadne covered her mouth. Scotland positioned ALS to look where they were looking. "No, no, no." She collapsed and started hyperventilating.

"Ariadne!" Scotland dropped the controller. "What's wrong?"

"Not again. Please, not again." She cried. Johnny clinched his fists harder, looking angrier than he ever had. On the screen was a man with a long face and a longer braided bony tail wearing a brown coat.

"Of all the rotten timing!" Yang yelled.

"What's going on?" Scotland asked. "Who is that?"

"Hello boys." Tyrian said. He licked his lips and started chuckling. "Room for one more?" His face twisted in a sadistic smile as he started laughing.

 **AN: Oh snap! Tyrian has caught up to our heroes and about to show what he's made of. As soon as Tyrian started fighting I knew exactly what I wanted to do with him. I wanted him here. Next time, you'll get to see things from Johnny's perspective.**


	95. Amon's Light

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: I'm finally here. I've been building up to this chapter for a very…really since I first introduced Johnny back in like, chapter 5.**

Chapter 95: Amon's Light

" _This is really bad Johnus."_ Shimmer echoed in his mind.

" _Damn it, I know!"_ Johnny snapped back. Ariadne was having a panic attack. Topaz and Scott were trying to comfort her and calm her down.

" _You should try calming her down. She always listens to you."_ Shimmer echoed again.

" _I can't afford to lose focus now."_

" _That's my line."_

"What the hell is going on?" Topaz said as she looked up. "Who is that guy?" The guy in question was walking towards August and Aurum while licking his lips.

" _You said so yourself…that level of malice is inhuman."_ Johnny reasoned.

"Who the hell are you?" Aurum asked.

"I thought he would have been with you!" August said.

"Dear friend, my name is Tyrian." Tyrian introduced himself with a dramatic gesture. "And I'm here because my queen wishes to achieve immortality!" He raised his hands in the sky. "Ha, hehehe…and getting the blood of the ever-artful Griffon, the man who locked me away for so long, getting that sweet blood on my hands is a thought that fills me with so much joy!" He squealed.

"Tyrian Callows, mass murderer and bandit responsible for over a hundred deaths…including Ariadne's village." Yang said.

"Not again…not him again!" She cried.

Tyrian jumped at both fighters and slashed at them with his pincers. They spread out. August fired at Tyrian with his pistols. Aurum slid back in to punch him. Tyrian sunk low to the ground, swiped the android's legs and stabbed him through the shoulder all in one swoop. August tried kicking him in his blind spot only to have his kick blocked by a scorpion tail. The tail wrapped around August's ankle spun him around and into Tyrian's booted foot.

"This is bad." Yang grunted. "Last time it took August, Kurome and myself to restrain him."

Aurum threw a punch at his face. Tyrian jumped onto his back and fired from between his legs. Aurum tanked the bullets. Tyrian spun on the ground delivering a trio of kicks to launch himself back up. He dodged August's pistol fire and stabbed at him with his tail. The two Faunas locked hands.

"Your queen is dead Tyrian!" August said.

"Haven't you heard?" Tyrian laughed. "There's a new queen in town."

"Cinder."

"HA!" Tyrian rolled over August's body and pushed him into Aurum's blast. Aurum readjusted to palm strike Tyrian, but the assassin bent under the strike, making it hit August. Tyrian's tail snapped, piercing August in the stomach and throwing him on the beach.

"August!" Yang started running for the coast but Citrine stopped her.

"Argentum, Wolfram!" Aurum tried to call out as Tyrian slammed him to the ground and ripped his arm out of its socket.

"You androids aren't as fun." Tyrian hissed. Wolfram punched him in the face.

"It's about time you joined in big guy." Aurum said as Argentum helped him up.

"This man is a threat to every attempt of established order." Wolfram reasoned. "The parameters of my intervention are acceptable."

"I can't teleport there." Yang said. "I can only warp to places that have been teleported from before."

"Topaz, can you use your semblance and get August out of there?" Citrine said. Johnny had an idea.

" _Don't even think about it."_ Shimmer stopped him.

"It'd take too long." Topaz said.

" _If any of them go they'll only get in the way."_ Johnny thought to Shimmer.

" _We need to hold out for Mrs. Ruby."_ Shimmer said.

Tyrian was bouncing around Wolfram. He slashed across Wolfram's eyes and chased after the other two. Before they could react, he stabbed his right pincer all the way through Aurum, shutting him down.

"At least this isn't good for them either." Nephrite said.

" _Aurum had unlimited stamina but there was a limit to how much he could take at once."_ Shimmer explained. That was his role, his semblance. Double Sight is what is called. The entire logic side of his brain manifesting as Shimmer. From there, Shimmer could scout the entire area, feeding him incomprehensible amounts of information, streamlined so that Johnny could understand it all instantly.

" _Tyrian overwhelmed his defenses in a single blast."_

" _It's like moon slice…the same move that severed Ms. Xiao Long's arm."_

"We need to get him out of there and let these villains fight." Citrine said.

" _They don't want to hear this…but August is likely going to die regardless."_

" _We have to do something."_

" _That's your emotions speaking. Think Johnus."_

" _I could use Scott's chair like before."_

" _What then?"_ Shimmer asked but already knew the answer. Even though Johnny liked to think of it as his imaginary friend, they really were of the same mind. " _I can't let you do that."_

" _My body my rules."_

" _You have a duty as the last Lightbringer. You can't throw that away for an aged huntsman…or out of some petty grievance on behalf of Ariadne."_ Shimmer, the manifestation of his semblance, was right.

" _As a Lightbringer I have to vanquish darkness wherever it lies…even if it's in the mind of my comrade. If I can help her sleep soundly tonight…then it is my God given duty to do just that."_

" _Don't twist your words on me."_

"Damn it mom, where are you?" Citrine yelled.

"We need to do something fast or he's going to kill them." Eiess said.

" _You can't do it alone!"_ Shimmer said. " _The third tier of your weapon will drain your life force. You'll be powerless! If you want to act then at least act rationally!"_

"ENOUGH!" Johnny shouted. "I am not a spectator. I am a warrior!"

" _Johnus Amon Clay, stop this madness!"_ Shimmer argued. Johnny grabbed Scott's hover chair.

"What are you doing!?" Citrine yelled. Johnny didn't have time to explain. Johnny was already racing off across the bay.

" _You realize there's only a 10% chance you'll survive this encounter."_ Johnny didn't oblige his semblance with a rational thought. The Light of Amon was given to him so that he may vanquish evil. This was his duty as a huntsman, a student, as Ariadne's leader and friend.

"Duly noted." Johnny said.

By the time he arrived Argentum was leaning against the rock. Tyrian must have been a terrible opponent for her. Her energy manipulation semblance had no effect on a physical fighter like Tyrian. Wolfram had fared better, despite a large gash in his head.

Johnny located August's unconscious body. Tyrian took notice of his presence. Johnny dove off the chair and onto the ground. Tyrian shot the chair. Johnny used his level one move and fired a bolt of light from his trusted weapon. Tyrian blocked the beam with a swipe of his tail. He then started laughing.

"Oh, another fly into the net." He mused as he hunched on the ground like a scorpion.

" _He shot the engine on the chair. There's no escape."_ Shimmer reported. _"We knew this would happen. And no matter how quickly I read you his moves, he's too fast for you to keep up."_

" _That's why I have to use level three."_ Johnny raised his flashlight into the air. Level one, bolt, a beam of light that shoots through darkness in a straight line. Level two, blast, a radial move meant to stun, disorientate and push back against the darkness. Level three, heal, using his own life force to rain light from the sky. A move he was forbidden to do.

" _Try to buy time! Use the androids to your advantage."_

" _This savage only cares about blood lust. He'll focus on me before he finishes the androids."_ Johnny abandoned all reason. He knew in his heart that this is what he had to do. Every bit of Shimmer, the essence of logic told him to survive. It told him to stay away. It told him that he should be scared of the man leering at him like a predator.

"What're you going to do?" Tyrian asked.

"I am Johnny Clay, last of the Lightbringers. And I'm going to vanquish you." The Light of Amon opened in his hand. Fast as light, a radiant pillar fell on Tyrian.

"We were not ready for today." Argentum said.

"Blow yourself up or leave, I don't care which!" Johnny said. He felt his very life draining. Wolfram grabbed Argentum's arm and they fled, leaving Aurum's body behind. Tyrian was screaming in pain as his body was scorched by the light of the sun. Still, he pushed forward. Johnny had to push all that much harder to keep him down.

Johnny staggered. He couldn't even hear himself think. He couldn't hear Shimmer, who was surely yelling at him to stop. He kept it up, his blood boiled, his ears rang and his eyes went bloodshot. Then he collapsed.

"That was…something." Tyrian picked himself off the ground. Johnny couldn't think. All he did was look in horror at Tyrian edging towards him. After all that, he failed.

Tyrian limped over to him and looked him right in the eyes. He looked down on Johnny like a hawk views a rabbit. His tail raised up as he started to laugh. His eyes went purple. Then, a cloud of red hit him.

"It's alright…for I am here." Ruby said.

"Red cape and silver eyes." Tyrian whispered. "Oh what a glorious day…to lay eyes on the woman my queen saw fit to call rival."

"I'm bringing you in, then you're going to tell me EXACTLY what Cinder is planning and where she is."

"I'm afraid that's not my place." Tyrian hunched over Aurum's body. "I was under strict orders not to engage you. Besides…you'll find out soon enough." He created a Black Gate. "She looks forward to seeing you again!" And in an instant, he was gone.

"You were quite brave." Ruby said as she started healing August's wounds. "I'll get that poison out really quick."

"Mrs. Ruby…" Johnny said. "The relic…?"

"We have it." Ruby said. "Mission complete."

 **AN: So, what do you think of Johnny's…deal? Next time is going to be a pretty long chapter with a lot of characters and a lot of action. In terms of scope, it'll be the biggest chapter in this story yet.**


	96. The Island of Dr Merlot

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: Big, big, big chapter today. There's so much I wanted to do with this chapter and I'm going to be doing most of it.**

Chapter 96: The Island of Doctor Merlot

It seemed like everyone was gathered here. It had been a while since they obtained the Creation Relic and were now prepared to assault Dr. Merlot's base. Not a lot of people showed up, all things considered, but Topaz recognized nearly everyone.

When the group had rendezvoused, and debriefed what all happened around the Temple of Creation, Nova had gotten pissed. But what didn't upset her these days. It wasn't shocking at all when she punched Johnny in the face when he explained his powers and actions.

Now they were in a staging area of Beacon. Professor Qrow had taken it upon himself to lead the attack. Prof Nora was to stay behind and look after the school. Professor Pine had left on some unknown errand. Qrow had insisted that Ruby stay behind, take a break with her kids but she was determined to see this through. And with the possibility of both Levi and Cinder being there, her presence was an absolute must.

Qrow had scouted the facility Merlot was hiding on and drew up the plans. There would be five teams. All of them hitting the facility at once. Qrow was leading the team of students that had volunteered for the excursion. The team included Teams CTEN and JANS, Akhdir and Ramil from Shade, Cero and Deus from Atlas, Tetsu and Verdant from Haven, and Ventus Grinnitch from Arbiter Academy. Scott had been encouraged to stay but insisted on seeing all of this through. Even with his weapon chair out of commission, he grabbed a soldier's gear so he could keep fighting. Topaz thought there was something admirable about that.

"Our group will be using the Black Gate to enter the facility." Qrow said. "From there, our job is to quickly shut down the turrets. Once they're shut down, everyone else will drop in. Our second objective is to make our way to the central lab. That's where Merlot is most likely housed."

"Any questions?" Ruby asked. No one raised their hand. "Alright, let's move out."

"Are you going to be alright going through the portal?" Ariadne asked Johnny.

"I'll manage, just might take a minute to readjust afterwards."

"I'm glad we could all make it." Citrine said.

"Too bad Nickel's mother came and grabbed him before we left Mantle." Eiess said. Everyone strapped on goggles to help against the negative effects of teleportation via Black Gate. Nephrite looked uneasy about all this. Topaz put a hand on her shoulder.

"We can do this." Topaz said assuredly.

Qrow swung his scythe to summon the portal. The whole gang fell through. Topaz looked around as the gang fell through the winding portal. The way it felt, reminded Topaz of the times she met with Arancia, right down to the swirling black clouds.

They landed softly in the grass behind some rocks. Topaz quickly spotted a pair of robots guarding a gate. This was the weapon's control bunker. If they could shut this down, the rest would become a lot easier.

"If we alert those guards, the whole island will light up." Deus said. "We can't shut them down either. That'll likely set the security off as well."

"Now I really wish Nickel was here." Eiess whispered.

"I'll go." Nephrite said.

"I'll go with you in bird mode." Qrow said as he shapeshifted. Nephrite took a deep breath and started sneaking around the gate.

"I'll let everyone know when they succeed." Johnny said.

"Just give me the word and I'll waste those guards." Deus said. Johnny nodded.

"Wait…we're not alone." Johnny said. He spun and held out his weapon. Everyone spun and pointed their weapons with him. An arrow flew in the middle of the group, not hitting anyone. Standing in front of them was a woman who Topaz had only seen in photos and old video.

"It's about time you got here." Cinder said.

"Cinder…" Ruby stood in the front of the group. "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you, I suppose." Cinder looked at Ruby with admiration. "I'd like to…borrow you."

"Sorry, I'm busy."

"Please, these students are more than enough to take down Merlot. I know you're only here in case a certain someone shows up. You'll be glad to know that he's not here."

"How can I trust you?" Ruby asked. Cinder looked genuinely hurt at the question.

"My dearest huntress…did you forget what he did to me? If you think for a moment that I'd let him live…then you seriously misjudge me."

"So, what do you want?"

"I want to talk…maybe spar a little. It has been way too long since I've felt the excitement of combat and you're one of the few that I know can satisfy me." She said in a sickeningly sweet tone. "I'll wait until the kids get into the facility." Her eyes glanced around the group. "Awe…is that your daughter?"

"I am." Citrine gulped.

"No need to be scared." Cinder said. "Oh, I remember the look on your face when you first told me you were pregnant. It was as if you were rubbing it in that you were right all along." She directed her speech at Ruby. "And you're the one who hurt Tyrian." Her eye went to Johnny.

"Your man was going to kill one of ours." Johnny said.

"I apologize. I know you're the same one who also saw through Emerald's tricks. I've heard quite a lot about you. But I apologize for Tyrian's behavior. He's little more than a tool. I point him in a direction and leave him to his own devices."

"That's your excuse?" Nova said.

"Hmm…Summer Maiden…I think it would be best for you and me to go elsewhere Ruby. It's always troublesome to have more than two Maidens together at once." Cinder said as she turned away.

"Deus, now." Johnny said. The lights in the facility flickered. Deus dove from behind cover and unleashed an incinerating blast through the gate. The lights flared on and the alarms sounded.

"Have fun kiddoes." Cinder said. "I look forward to seeing some of you again." As she said that, her eye fell on Nova. Flames erupted from her hands as she flew to the top of a plateau and Ruby followed her.

"Everyone move." Citrine said.

Everyone pushed forward. Blue pads lit up all over the area. Robots, the normal kind, were being teleported in to deal with the breach. Nephrite dropped on top of one. Deus and Citrine sped ahead, tearing into a group of guards. Nova threw an acidic ball at a group, melting them instantly. Johnny fired his weapon into a line of red guards.

"Gatling gun fist!" Deus unleashed a flurry of attacks into a large mech.

"Rising dragon punch!" Verdant sent a flaming uppercut into a guard.

The enemies were still coming. The sounds of airships flying overhead echoed through the air. An enemy airship hovered in their way. It fired a missile and Eiess put up a protective glyph to block it. Cero created an ice ramp. Deus rocketed up the ramp and punched the hovercraft. He bounced off it and went into the air. He then joined his hands together and bombarded it with missiles.

Another pair of air ships took its place. Cero and Ramil put up a barrier to block its gunfire. Qrow appeared in front of one and cut it in half. Deus landed on the other and punched through its cockpit and ripped the pilot out. He then threw the pilot into an oncoming airship before climbing inside himself.

A hangar opened up. A giant paladin marched forward with a platoon of mechanical knights behind it. Ramil used her iron microbots to put up a shield. Topaz readied her weapon but Akhdir jumped over her and punched the paladin. The mech was blasted back, destroying the robots that were behind it.

Topaz moved to her right and sliced through a group of remaining drones. Hover drones started circling the area, trying to suppress them. Ramil stood stoically as he black sand grabbed drone after drone, reducing it to scrap, then breaking that scrap into more iron dust for her to use.

Tetsu slid under the paladin and slashed at its feet. Verdant and Akhdir punched it together to knock it down. Eiess created a blast glyph underneath it. As the glyph exploded, Tetsu sliced at its core, shutting it down.

Another trio of paladins rose from underneath the hangar. Deus fired a rocket at one, but the paladin shot it out of the air. Ventus walked to the front and extended her hands. He body was glowing green like her hair and her eyes turned red. Scrap from all the dismantled robots flew past her and eviscerated the paladins.

Robots moved along the catwalk, running towards a weapon rack. Scott used his semblance to steal the weapons before the guards could reach them. Nephrite, Ariadne and Nova commenced with a ranged assault to destroy the robots. Then, a large man with a helmet that looked like a furnace dropped down.

"Raaah!" He gave a battle cry as he dropped down. Cero tried striking first with her cryonic semblance. But the android shot fire from its hand to melt it. "Burn trespassers!" He yelled.

He ran forward. Heat was emitting from his body. Akhdir moved to block him only to be knocked out of the way. The android took a swing at Citrine only to be blocked by Ramil's dust. Ramil confidently marched up to him and blocked his next punch.

"Given the naming conventions of you people…you must be Ferrous." Ramil said.

"You'd guess right." He swung a left hook at her only for that too to be blocked by her defenses.

"This is why I was chosen to represent Vacuo for this mission." Ramil grabbed his arm. The metal started peeling off if tiny flakes. "My semblance gives me complete control over iron."

"Stay away." Ferrous jumped back and tried frying her with a pillar of fire.

"Everyone else go ahead." Ramil said. "I'll make short work of this machine." Her voice was even and cold.

"Proceed forward students." Qrow said. "Deus and I are giving you all air support."

Everyone ran into the hangar and started making their way down the hallway leading to the main facility. A group of androids stood in their path. Topaz put her hands on the wall and ruptured the plumbing, flooding the area. She sent the fluids like a raging river down the hall. Cero then froze the water. Then Nova ended the combo by superheating it to explode.

Bombs echoed everywhere as the rest of the huntsmen assaulted the facility. Topaz led the way through the hallway, slashing any androids that got in her way. They came across a small research room lined with computers. Eiess began typing away at one.

"What are you doing?" Citrine asked.

"Merlot's semblance allows him to transfer anywhere." Eiess said. "I'm going to try shutting him down from here." She grabbed her radio. "This is Eiess Schnee to all groups." If one of the other teams had succeeded in their job, the island's communication network should be down, leaving radio as the only form of communication. If that was the case, then someone would answer.

"What do you want Ms. Schnee?" Qrow answered.

"I need everyone to focus on finding any relay stations on the island and taking them out. I'm at a computer hub, working from this end to lock him in."

"I already thought of that first part." Qrow said. "We're already targeting any dishes. Good thinking using his computers against him though."

"Thanks." Eiess blushed. "Everyone go ahead. I'll need to stay here and keep things locked down."

"I'll stay with you." Citrine said.

"As much as I'd love for that…" Eiess grabbed Citrine's hand. "Whoever stays to help needs to be good with computers…and someone who can be more useful as a guard then as a fighter."

"I'll stay." Cero said. "I can freeze all the entrances and keep things sealed."

"I'll stay too." Scott said. "I'm good with computers and…right now…I'm just here as a formality." He raised his standard issue assault rifle.

"Alright." Citrine said. "Good luck." She pulled Eiess into a kiss before the group left.

The group kept on moving forward. Citrine led the way with her, Nova and Verdant getting most of the action. Topaz sunk behind to where Ventus and Nephrite were. Johnny was right in front of them, his eyes darting around the facility. Then they came to a split in the path.

"Which way should we go?" Citrine asked as she looked at Johnny.

"It looks like they loop around." Johnny said.

"I can sense Grimm." Nephrite said. "But it feels, different."

"Mutated Grimm, one of Merlot's specialties." Scott said.

"We should split the teams evenly." Johnny said. "Nova, Verdant, Tetsu and Ariadne with me. Everyone else, go with Citrine."

"A mobile fighter, a scout, a hand-to-hand specialist, a ranged specialist and a sword fighter each." Tetsu said. "Nice thinking."

"If everyone else were here, Ramil, Scott and Deus would be going with us and the rest would be with you." Johnny said. "I thought about that when we first got together."

"We'll head to where the Grimm concentration is strongest." Citrine said.

"Be safe." Johnny said.

"You too."

 **AN: And that's it for this chapter. Not sure if it ended up being the longest chapter of this story yet, but I know it's up there with over 2000 words. The next three chapters will involve three of the active parties.**


	97. Silver Shot

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: We're coming close to the end of this arc. I don't think this chapter is going to be nearly as long as last chapter. All around, this story is way, way shorter than my last epic length story. But I knew that when the average chapter length stayed around 1500 words.**

Chapter 97: Silver Shot

Citrine led the way down the corridor. They started to run into Grimm, mostly creeps, and dealt with them swiftly. The Grimm tended to have glowing green crystals sprouting from them. All Citrine had to do was stare them down and they'd completely blow up.

But she didn't want to exhaust her powers. Luckily Ventus and Nephrite were both good with dust and aura. All they had to do was touch one of these Grimm and the dust would become unstable and explode. Akhdir was also good to have around.

They came into a wide room lined with containers full of volatile dust and black Grimm essence. The red, black, and green substances swirled around each container generating the Grimm. There were Redstone nodes scattered around the area as well, each one pulsating at the same rhythm as the rest of the machines.

"This must be where they're making the Grimm." Topaz said.

"One of the places anyway." Nephrite said. She got in a combat stance. Topaz covered her by hacking away at the Grimm that spawned. Nephrite slammed her palm into one of the tanks, cracking its glass.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice said. Argentum was standing at the opposite side of the room. Nephrite moved to slam her palm into the glass again. Argentum fired a laser at her. Nephrite flipped out of the way and fired her guns at the machine. The glass shattered and all the liquid burst into gas and disappeared.

Ventus, Topaz, focus on the machines." Citrine said. "Only physical attacks will work on her." The look on the android's face betrayed no emotion. She had clearly recovered from getting attacked by Tyrian.

Citrine knew she shouldn't, but all she could feel was anger at the android. Something deep inside her wanted to get revenge for the humiliating defeat she suffered at Argentum's hand back in Solitas.

"Leave Argentum to me." Citrine dashed forward at full speed. Argentum surrounded herself in energy and tried to fall back. But she couldn't keep up with Citrine's superior speed. The orange huntress let all her feelings come out as she ravished Argentum. The android tried countering with lasers and her own defense but Citrine didn't let up. She didn't even bother changing to her scythe. She was like an orange silver tipped bullet overpowering the android.

She recalled a story about her great-grandmother who had defeated mighty foes without being touched. Citrine was channeling that legacy. She burned her muscles like fire as she kept slamming around the room.

"You damn brat!" Argentum finally landed a counter and hit Citrine in the face. Citrine felt her fist go into her stomach and the android's other hand go into her face. Akhdir dropped down on her and drove her into the ground like a nail. She blasted her way out of the ground only to be punched by Akhdir again. This punch sent her through one of the vats.

"I told you to leave her to me." Citrine said.

"Everything else is done here." Akhdir replied. Topaz slammed her blade down on the android. Argentum slid backwards. Nephrite closed the distance and hit her with a palm strike. Pure aura erupted from the android and blasted her back into the wall.

"What…did you do?" Argentum gasped as she picked herself back up.

"A palm strike, directed at your aura core." Nephrite held her hand out. "Pushing aura through like a scalpel, triggering your reserves. Instant aura bomb."

"Why you little…" Argentum started. Citrine was ruthless with her next strike. Argentum caught notice just in time to try and dodge. But it was too late. With ferocious speed and righteous indignation Clockwork Rose tore through the metal and cleaved the android's arm off.

"I'm not done with you yet." Citrine bolted forward. Then suddenly, a bullet ripped through her leg and she tumbled to the ground.

"No." Nephrite gasped. Citrine felt something pull on her and pull her out of the way of another bullet.

"Citrine?" Ventus said.

"I'm okay, just a graze." Citrine looked at the cut on her leg. She then looked up. Her eyes went wide in dread. Her eyes looked straight at the masked, armored man that shot her.

"It's been a long time, Citrine Rose." Levi said coldly.

"We should run." Ventus said.

"If you want my mom, she's outside." Citrine said with a narrow gaze.

"I'm in no mood to enter another life-threatening slugfest with her." Levi said. "I'm here because of you."

"What do you want?" Citrine tried to keep her voice even.

"There's something off about him." Nephrite warned. "I've never seen anything quite like this."

"Last time I saw you, you were just an infant." Levi said. "Let's see how you've progressed." He lifted his hand up. A cannon construct appeared on his arm. Citrine readied her shield to block.

"Citrine, I can't sense him." Nephrite said. With a flick of his wrist, Levi shot his gun. The bullet went towards Topaz. The huntress tried dodging but the bullet tore through her shoulder.

"Topaz!" Citrine took her eyes of Levi for only a second. He fired his cannon. Citrine instinctually repelled the attack and sent it back at him. His image shattered on impact. Citrine then felt the shotgun blast to the back of her head. She rolled on the ground. Levi and Nephrite exchanged blows but the older man caught her open palm and squeezed her fingers. He punched her in the stomach, grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face into his knee.

"Did your parents ever tell you about the day I beat them to a pulp?" He ducked under Akhdir's punch and kicked him in the chest. Argentum moved to slide out the door. Ventus wrapped a pipe around her.

"You're not going anywhere." Ventus said. She moved forward and touched the android's head and focused her power on holding her there.

Citrine swung her scythe wildly at Levi. He dodged around the scythe, somehow staying one step ahead of her. He jumped up and fired his grieves, rocketing himself into the air. He landed a heavy axe kick to Akhdir's head. Nephrite tried kicking him. He caught her foot and threw her into one of the Redstone nodes, igniting it. A Black Gate swallowed her up.

"Nephrite!" Topaz yelled. She took the blood on her shoulder and turned it into blades that skewered Levi.

"I'm okay!" Nephrite called in. "I ended up in another room."

Levi flipped around and kicked Topaz in the head. Akhdir tried clapping his hands over him. Levi ducked down and swept his feet out from under him. He then sent a knee into his face. Topaz forced her way up and slashed at Levi. He dodged each swing before swiftly disarming her and grabbing her by the throat.

"I always wanted to fight an Azul…too bad this doesn't count." Citrine tackled Levi to the ground. He rolled over her and threw her into a wall. She pushed against him again, her leg now full healed from her wound.

"Leave my team alone!" Citrine screamed as she continued her merciless assault.

"You really aren't like her, are you?" Levi chuckled. "The Ruby I know would have pulled her out of the way or jumped in front of the bullet. Instead, you keep coming at me like a machine."

"Shut up and die you bastard!" Her eyes were burning white. She slammed her scythe down. Levi backed, just out of range then vaulted over the scythe, scissor-kicking her. He pinned her to the ground, punched her face and grabbed her head.

"Let's quench that wretched fir, shall we." His thumbs went over her eyes. Then he was smacked off of her by Akhdir.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Citrine tackled Levi again and forced him down, keeping the shaft of her weapon down on his throat. He just laughed at her. A tear welled in her eye at that. This man has killed dozens and he was laughing.

"You told me to die…so do it." Levi kept laughing. Citrine used her knees to keep the scythe pressed to his throat. She started punching him. He just sat there and laughed, taking every punch. Everyone else just watched her as this terrorist was beat over and over again by a teenager. And he had the nerve to laugh!

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" She repeated over and over again.

"You will…never be…as good as Ruby Rose." His voice was robotic. His voice changer thing must be broke.

"Neither…will…you!" Citrine answered back. She wondered when his aura would break, or when he'd run out of air. Neither seemed to be happening. Citrine couldn't rationalize it. She kept beating him until her knuckles bled.

"Citrine, stop." Topaz said.

"Leave her." Akhdir said. "He's letting her do it."

"Still…"

"Threaten my family!" Citrine's punches started becoming labored. "Threaten my city." Her next punch didn't have the same impact. Each blow stung her hand worse than it stung his face. She grabbed his face plate and pulled it off. Then, she looked in horror as she saw her own face, with cold mechanical eyes.

"As if you'd ever be able to beat the real deal." Levi spoke with her voice. Citrine quickly sunk back in horror.

"Why do you have my face?" Citrine stammered. Topaz sliced the head off of the android Levi-doppelganger.

"That's a twist." Argentum said.

"Shut up!" Citrine grabbed her weapon, unfurled it into a spear and threw it at Argentum. The spear cleaved clean through the android's head, killing it. Citrine dropped to her knees and looked at an image of her own face, staring back at her with a cruel smile.

"They were just trying to get in your head." Topaz said as she wrapped her arms around the leader. "He wasn't really here. And you are nothing like him. Citrine looked at the dismantled body of Argentum.

"But what if I am?" Citrine whispered.

"Don't think like that." Topaz said. "Come one, we need to get going."

"What about Nephrite?" Akhdir said.

"She's good with her aura." Topaz said. "It'll be easier for her to find us then for us to find her."

"Let's just keep moving." Ventus said. "That android, Levi or whatever, didn't have an aura…so it's not outside the realm of possibility that there's more of them."

"We should proceed with extra caution." Akhdir said.

Citrine had a hard time peeling her eyes off the severed head of the false Levi. She hoped that Eiess and Johnny were having better luck at progressing. She shook her head, trying to get the thought out of her head but couldn't. Even so, she forced herself to keep moving forward.

 **AN: I'm cruel, aren't I. This chapter just existed to mess with Citrine's head. I did that in lieu of structuring a fight where the fighter's weakness had long since been determined. This was just a much more interesting concept in my opinion.**


	98. Ice Show

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: Just one more week and this arc will be finished. This has been a fantastic arc I think. I'm glad I gave myself a real break before starting on this. With that said, don't expect this chapter to be quite as good as the last few.**

Chapter 98: Ice Show

Eiess sat down and started trying to hack into the computer. She had toyed around with this sort of thing before she went to Beacon, and a little bit during their first year when they were looking into the Chaos Syndicate. But considering Merlot was himself, a computer, Eiess braced for the harshest security systems she'd ever faced.

Scott was on a computer across from her, hacking in from a different angle. Cero quickly used her powers to freeze up all the vents and the entire outside hallway. The abundance of ice brought the temperature in the room down near the freezing point.

"Gah." Scott breathed out. "Aren't you cold in here."

"We Atlesians are acclimated to the cold." Cero said. Eiess took a small vial of dust out of her belt.

"Rub this on your hands and face." Eiess said. "It'll help. It' a lotion imbued with fire dust. I keep it around so that I can sing and play piano no matter what the temperature is."

"Seems nifty." Scott said.

"That should hold anyone back so long as they don't have a blow torch." Cero said.

"Which there's probably guards that do." Eiess said. Eiess popped her knuckles and started looking for ways to shut down the system.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Merlot's image popped on screen.

"Doctor Merlot I presume." Eiess said.

"I see these reprobates have brought a Schnee here." Merlot said condescendingly. "Just what do you hope to find on this computer?"

"We're just browsing." Scott said.

"And who are you?" Merlot sounded angry.

"The benefit of anonymity." Scott muttered. "No one important. Just an everyday huntsman in training. Or I guess I'm acting like a full-fledged huntsman with as much bullshit I've had to deal with lately."

"Well I don't much like little brats snooping around my system!" The screens went red. Eiess started putting her rudimentary hacking knowledge to use to shut down the firewalls and popups. Scott seemed to be handling it a lot better than she was.

"You know Doc…you might have been in a computer for the last twenty or so years." He slammed down on a key. All the screens flashed blue and Merlot's image faded. "But you're still human."

"I got it." Eiess said. As the screen cleared up she found the program that kept him up to the net. She proceeded to go through the motions to shut it down.

"Do you really think that will work?" Merlot said. "Your vapid technical skills are nothing compared to my own. The minute you take me offline I'll reboot and reboot my network with me."

"That explains why you're so slow." Scott claimed. "Like any piece of data, the more you copy it the more of it gets lost in translation."

"Your brain must work the same way." Eiess stated, trying to curb her enthusiasm. Merlot's image disappeared.

"Boring conversation anyway." Scott muttered.

"We're going to have company." Cero said. Eiess turned around just in time to see an android glide through the ice and throw Cero into the opposite wall. The android raised its head and shot lightning out of its forehead. Eiess and Scott dived out of the way as the bolt fried all of the computers.

"So much for peace and quiet." Scott flicked his wrist and hit the android with a device that shocked it. The android paused for a second before popping the node off. "And so much for that plan. So, what's your name?"

"My name is Polonium." He said in a monotone. "And I am here to stop you. I have no desire to fight. Merely to stop you."

"Well we have our own mission." Cero said as she created a wall of ice to slam into Polonium.

"Why are you so insistent of such displays." Polonium said as he blasted the ice away.

"Merlot is a criminal." Eiess slashed as Polonium with her sword. The first hit landed and knocked him back a little but the rest flew right through him. After three failed slashes, Eiess backed away.

"Can't you see that Merlot is trying to advance the world?" Polonium said.

"He's sided with terrorists and murderers." Eiess said. "Whatever ideals led him to create you don't matter."

"That's a narrow way to look at it." Polonium fired another blast from his forehead. Eiess blocked it with a repulse glyph and Cero countered by freezing his lower half.

"There's no defending these people." Eiess said. "Merlot is selfish, looking out only for himself and his interests. He only created you androids because Cipher hired him too. No man who actively destroys peace should be defended."

"So, if you had a chance at immortality you wouldn't take it?" Polonium asked as he phased through his ice prison.

"I believe life is precious, which is why I hate when it gets snuffed out." Her mind flashed to all the bodies that lined the streets after the flood.

"And every moment we spend is precious because we never know when it'll be our last." Cero said coldly. She dashed in with her blade and lunged for his chest. "Even you, as an android would die if your aura core gets damaged. That much is certain."

Cero and Eiess continued the double team assault against Polonium. They kept him at bay, forcing him to stay intangible. Eiess counted the seconds. This was obviously a special ability like Nickel's invisibility. Obviously, he couldn't attack so long as he was on the defensive. And there was surely a limit to how much he could pass through before he had to go solid again.

Cero kept up the assault with her ice and blade. Eiess threw in some blast glyphs and some ice bolts. Polonium staggered and went solid. Scott opened fire with a rifle. Eiess focused her sword and used a time dilation to slice into him. He grabbed her and turned his hand intangible and punched her.

"Hlrmph." Eiess vomited as Polonium pulled his fist out. The dust stone on his head started glowing. Cero threw a piece of ice at his head. His head jerked back as the lightning blast tore through the ceiling. Scott emptied his clip into Polonium's body. Then, the android went intangible again.

"Are you alright?" Scott asked as Cero shifted the ice around to keep Polonium on guard.

"Thirty seconds." Eiess whispered.

"I see." Scott tossed a crystal of wind dust to Cero. "Hail." Cero nodded in understanding and combined the dust with her semblance to create a localized hail storm around Polonium. Polonium sunk under the ground. When he popped back up, he was behind Cero.

Scott jumped in the way and stuck a magnet on Polonium's arm. The magnet weighed Polonium's arm down and messed with his systems. Eiess readied her dust. Before Polonium had a chance to recharge again, Eiess unleashed her attack.

"You're done." Eiess said. The EMP glyph ripped through his body. His powers flickered on and off. Eiess shoved her blade into his chest. The blade tore through his body as the molecules compensated for the space. Just like it had with Eiess' stomach just a minute ago.

"This is…the end?" Polonium said.

"I didn't hit your core." Eiess said. "Your body is shutting down so it doesn't have to deal with trauma. It's a design choice Merlot stole from the Polendinas. It's the only way your human soul can deal with living in a shell."

"Thank you." Polonium dropped to the ground. "You are…kind." His eyes dilated as his body finished shutting down.

"I'll clear the ice." Cero said.

"This room is useless now." Eiess said. "We should meet back up with Citrine."

"You two go on ahead." Cero said. "I'm going to meet back up with Deus and Ramil outside."

"Stay safe." Eiess said. "And thanks for the help."

"It's no problem Ice Queen." She said as she got rid of the ice blocking their path.

 **AN: Bit of a shorter chapter today but that's because I'm hyping myself up for the big chapter 100. So, let me know what you've been thinking and thanks for reading.**


	99. Heavy Hitter

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: I've been feeling under the weather lately. It hasn't interfered too much with my writing but it has interfered with pretty much everything else I have going on. Well, we're almost to the finish line with just three more battle chapters after this.**

Chapter 99: Heavy Hitter

Nephrite ran through the dimly lit hallways. Her eyes were closed, she focused her senses to find her allies. It was clear she was far from Citrine and the others. But she could sense Nova's unbound energy. All Nephrite had to do was follow it.

She reached a dead end, blocked by a sealed door. She could hear the others battling just on the other side. Ariadne's flute, Johnny's light, Verdant's fiery fists, Tetsu's blade and Nova's everything was echoing just on the other side of the door.

Nephrite felt the door heating up. She jumped back as it melted from a concentrated energy blast. As the smoke cleared, Johnny and Nova were standing in the melted doorway. The rest of the group were right behind them, the enemies they were fighting were all destroyed.

"Nephrite?" Nova raised her eyebrow.

"I got separated from everyone else." Nephrite said.

"Well, there's nothing back that way." Johnny pointed over his shoulder.

"Oh…I was just trying to link back with someone." Nephrite said.

"What happened?" Verdant asked.

"It was Vile, or rather a Vile doppelganger. He threw me into one of those teleportation nodes."

"Is everyone else okay?" Johnny asked.

"Far as I know." Nephrite said. "I was able to communicate via radio for a little while. They managed to defeat their opponents."

"Good to hear." Johnny said. "We should keep moving." Nephrite nodded. Johnny led the way.

"It's rather dark in here." Ariadne said.

"Must be the bombings outside." Tetsu said. "I'm surprised the whole facility hasn't lost power yet."

"I just hope we run into the others soon." Nephrite said. "I just want this to be over."

"Me too." Ariadne said.

Jonny continued to lead the way down the hallways. They came across an assembly line. It was inactive, with dozens of half-finished drones lining the conveyor belts. Nephrite looked around. These were the simple drones that had stood in their way before. There was no aura core or anything to differentiate the disheveled units.

"We must be in the factory wing." Tetsu said.

"You don't say." Nova mocked.

Verdant grabbed a robot's head and started tossing it up in the air and kicking it like a soccer ball. Johnny made his way towards a door on the opposite side of the room. Tetsu and Nephrite spread out to look through the factory floor.

"What are you doing?" Ariadne asked Verdant.

"I'm training." The bushy browed student said. "Professor Vasilias always says to hone your skills at every possibility." He continued to bounce the head on his foot. Nova grabbed a head and started copying Verdant's actions.

"I bet I can keep it in the air longer than you." Nova said.

"You're on." Verdant said playfully.

"Focus people!" Johnny said as he tapped away at a control console. The door opened up. "We can have fun and games when the mission is over."

"Killjoy." Verdant said as he kicked the head away.

"You have no idea." Nova said as she used her tail to throw her robot head.

"Someone is coming." Johnny said as he held his hand up. Nephrite could sense him. It was an android, one with a pretty strong aura. Johnny jumped back as a hand tried reaching for him. A man with dark skin jumped from the shadows after him. Johnny fired his flashlight in midair and hit the android square in the chest.

"Well…another batch of intruders." The man said. His arm shapeshifted into a blade. "Ah, but they are merely students and no match for this heavy hitter." He boasted. "Feast your eyes on the ultimate weapon! For I am Plum…" He was cut off when Verdant hit him with a spinning kick to the head. "Blum." He groaned as he went face first into a pile of android parts.

"Are you for real with that name?" Tetsu laughed.

"Plumblum is an honorable name for an honorable man." He said. "It is the scientific name for lead." His arm shifted into a gun. "But for the sake of honorable brevity you can call me Plum."

His gun hand started firing. The whole gang scattered. Tetsu braced himself and drew his fire, using his armored skin to defend himself. Ariadne hid behind some heavy equipment and started playing a song that gave the people in the party greater speed.

Nephrite drop kicked Plum into Johnny, who then body slammed the android. Nova zipped around with her grappling hook and scissor kicked him when he tried to get back up. His arm turned into a blade and he swiped at Nova. The Faunas switched with a clone to avoid the attack. Verdant's fists caught fire as he pummeled Plum.

"Rising dragon fist." Verdant punched Plum in the chin. He spun around in air and started firing down at Verdant. Tetsu jumped in the way and tanked the bullets. Plum landed on the walkway. Nova sprung a trap and melted the supports. Plum dropped to the ground and into her relentless assault. Tetsu and Verdant joined her in the joint attack.

Plum's body convulsed and shot blades from all angles. One of the blades tore into Verdant's arm as he jumped back. The android charged at the wounded fighter but Johnny intercepted him and hit him with a flash bolt.

"Are you okay?" Johnny asked.

"Just a scratch." Verdant said. "Curse my condition."

"I figured that's why you were partnered with Tetsu." Johnny said. Verdant nodded in confirmation.

Nephrite fired her guns as she ran at Plum. All the bullets hit him as he tried to block Tetsu's blade. Nephrite saw the fatal flaw with his technique and was sure Johnny saw it too. Even when he was blocking, his aura was diminishing.

Tetsu pivoted his foot and cut one of Plum's arms off. The arm regenerated and slashed Tetsu across the chest. Nephrite saw both of their auras plummet from the exchange and used it as an opportunity to hit the android with a palm strike.

"An honorable display." Plum said. Johnny slid in front of him and hit him with his light. He slammed it to the ground, creating a light blast. In the blinding light, Johnny tossed him to the ground and under some heavy equipment, which Ariadne dropped on him.

Plum blasted out from under the load. His armor began to repair itself. Johnny swiftly shoved his weapon into a small hole in Plum's side. Plum grabbed his arm and turned his fingers into knives that cut into Johnny's arm.

"Kill shot." Johnny said. The light overflowed inside of the android and blasted him away.

"An honorable match." Plum said as his body shut down.

"Well that was…a distraction." Tetsu said.

"They're getting desperate." Johnny said nursing his arm wound. "We're getting close."

"You're right." Nova said as she looked at Johnny's arm.

"Hey Nova, you could have just melted that guy, right?" Verdant said.

"Probably." She said.

"So, why didn't you?"

"She's saving her strength." Johnny answered but didn't elaborate.

They moved through another corridor before winding up outside on a bridge. The bridge went over a deep canyon. Flood lights made the entire area look as bright as day. But on the other side of the bridge was a familiar face.

"I've been waiting for you Summer Maiden." Lithium said as he swung his giant boomerang around.

"I'm flattered." Nova popped her knuckles. "You all go on ahead. He's mine."

"This is a very bad idea." Johnny said.

"I'll be fine, I have a plan."

"We should fight him together." Johnny said.

"There's no room for anything like that." Nova reasoned.

"At least keep Ariadne here…"

"Piss. Off. Johnny." Nova was seriously dead set on fighting this guy alone.

"Last time he turned you into a…" Johnny was interrupted when Nova turned and punched him in the stomach.

"I'm fine!" Nova said. "Go and finish this now!"

"Nova." Nephrite reached out to her.

"When we're done…" Johnny recomposed himself. "I'm coming back for you."

"There won't be any need." Nova said.

"Let's go." Johnny said.

"But Nova…" Verdant protested.

"She's dead set on going through with this." Johnny said as they walked past Lithium. "That damn pride of hers…"

 **AN: So, the big chapter 100 is going to be the fated battle between Nova and Lithium. I'm kinda excited for it. I'm going to try to put in all the work I can for it to make it worthy of my greater works.**


	100. That Damn Pride

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: Here we go for the hundredth time. I've been looking forward to this chapter for a while now. I'm shooting for it being pretty lengthy compared to other chapters in this story.**

Chapter 100: That Damn Pride

Nova drew her swords, ready to pounce on her target at any second. Lithium stood across from her, looking relaxed. She resisted the urge to cut him down right there, knowing he was baiting her. This was the same android who reduced her into a convulsing mess before. That was a sour fact Nova refused to swallow.

"You know…this didn't end well for you last time." Lithium smirked. Nova remained silent. "Silent treatment eh? Well, you should have at least let one or two of your friends stay to fight for you. That pride of yours is going to get you killed…then the power of Summer will be in our hands."

"Don't count on it!" Nova jumped and spun her swords in her hands. Lithium used his weapon like a staff, blocking and deflecting the blades. Nova linked them together and parried Lithium's weapon. She threw her weapon and caught it with her tail to stab at him. She pulled a pair of knives out of her pockets and slashed at him. She used her primary weapon in her tail to draw the boomerang away so she could hit him with her knives but Lithium kept dodging.

She stabbed forward with her tail like a scorpion. Her blade hit the floor as he backed up. She vaulted on her tail to deliver a kick which he blocked. She rolled and flipped around, separating her swords, putting one of her knives away, and catching the other one with her tail in one swift motion.

Lithium swung his weapon at her. She used a clone to avoid it. At this distance, she began firing her gun. She kept moving and firing at different angles to try to catch him off guard. A few of the bullets managed to hit as his weapon shifted a little. Nova rolled on the floor to dodge the machine gun fire. She threw her knife with her tail to draw his fire away. She used the railing to thrust herself out and around to kick him in the face.

"You've got some moves." Lithium said. He flipped out of the way of her next strike and threw his boomerang. Nova blocked it and it started flying back into his hand. Nova fueled her feet with fire to sprint towards him. His back was against the wall and his weapon was still a distance away.

"Hold still!" She slashed at him from all angles. He took the blows and punched her in the stomach. He caught him boomerang and bashed her across the chest with it.

"You're better than I expected." Lithium complimented. "But that was just a warm up. It's over now." His body began to glow.

"I don't think so." Nova grinned. Eiess don't fail her now. The dust glyphs she and Eiess had prepared started glowing to counteract Lithium's magic sealing glyphs.

"What?" Lithium said.

"It's simple applied dust science." Nova answered. "And one of my best friends is one of the best." She felt the glyphs straining on her aura. But anything was better than being absolutely powerless. Granted, she could barely use her magic in this state. But she had a plan for that too.

She loaded up a special dust round and fired the incendiary bullet at him. Supercharged with her aura, another basic mathematic formula of dust surface area multiplied by aura output, the bullet ignited the entire walkway in flames.

Nova swung her swords wildly yet precisely at Lithium. She had to create an opening, a good one. Part of his clothes caught fire from her bullet. She used her guns and semblance to stay mobile in the limited space.

Lithium parried one of her blades and kicked her off the walkway. Nova grappled onto the railing and swung around. Lithium was ready to block it. She threw a couple clones out. He sliced through the first one and bashed the second one. The third one grabbed him and the fourth one exploded.

As the supports caught fire and melted, the walkway became unstable. Nova fueled what little magic she could muster to coat her blades in a purple flame. Lithium spun around her and backed up.

"Come, Summer Maiden, you'll have to do better than that." He jumped back and threw his boomerang. This time Nova vaulted over it and fired another incendiary round at him. In a fluid motion, she switched rounds and fired three lightning rounds. He dodged all three. Nova back flipped as the boomerang came aimed at her back. She jumped up and electrified the whole walkway. Lithium was stunned and the boomerang hit him.

"I have you now." She said. As she ran at him, the walkway gave out and started collapsing. Lithium broke his boomerang apart into swords. Nova tried not to stumble as the walkway buckled under its own weight and lack of supports.

She dove in and stabbed at him. She pulled out a knife with her tail. She used all her weapons in tandem. Her thoughts went back to the footage of Tyrian when he fought August and the androids. That's what she was trying to emulate. But her body wasn't fast enough and her muscles not strong enough to overwhelm Lithium with brute force.

Lithium vaulted over the railing as the walkway went on its side. Nova followed. She ripped her jacket off and threw it at his face. As he knocked it out of the way, she sliced through it. The wind from their increased downward momentum, blew through her hair. She wrapped her tail around part of the railing to keep her balance. Lithium hooked one of his swords to do the same.

She had the advantage now. She maintained her mobility to slash at him as they fell. He was forced to stay defensive. As they approached the river below, she let her tail go. She hovered above his horizontal swipe and fired her gun down. She drew his attention to her, so that he didn't realize how close they were to the ground until it was too late.

Lithium tried jumping and breaking his fall at the last minute. The whole structure smashed into the rock bed. Nova spun in the air. She took a page from Deus' book and ignited her power at the last second to break her fall.

"Well then…" Lithium said as he picked himself up. "Now that we're out in the open." He dashed behind her and smacked her across the back. "I know those defensive glyphs have to be draining your aura. Time was never on your side."

"Time enough to kill you!" Nova rushed in. He split his weapon into swords again. He kept up with her every step of the way. Their blades locked together.

"There's a fire burning inside of you. I know you want to unleash it. Give in. Use the full extent of your power. Let's see if you can melt me before I reduced you to a spastic lump of meat."

Lithium thrusted his elbow into her nose and slammed her to the ground. Nova fired her gun up at him as she spun back to her feet. As she rolled over her shoulder, Lithium kicked her in the chest.

She dashed forward and threw a clone out in front of her. The clone blocked his attack as she jumped over them and stabbed Lithium in the back. The clone exploded into a thick black ink that caught him. Nova quickly spun and fired an acidic ball into his back.

"Melt!" She commanded. Lithium snarled as the attack melted through part of his skin, and destroyed part of his glyph tattoo.

"That's more like it." He growled.

"Yeah…" Nova stopped giving energy to her own glyphs. "Because now you're going to see just how strong I am!" She screamed into the air. Radiant flames surrounded her, scorching the rock, melting the wreckage of the walkway, and bringing the nearby water to a steamy boil.

"Big mistake." He threw his hand out. Nothing happened. "What?" He threw his hand out again and again.

"What's the matter? You acted like you were going to win so easily as soon as I cut loose."

"But how? My back! You bitch!"

"Don't act so surprised!" She rocketed forward and cut his weapon in half. It turned back into its twin blade form, but the mechanisms that joined them together melted. Her blades were entirely engulfed in flames.

"Don't think that this is going to be easy now!" He said with a cruel smile as he kept blocking her attacks. "You've already given so much energy to stop my glyphs. So, how long can you keep this up!" He landed a blow to her face.

"As long as it takes!" He body pulsated, the river evaporated, covering the area with steam. Under the cover of smoke, she jumped into the air. She gathered her energy into her hand and bombarded the area. Lithium raced backward as the fireballs cut through the steam. He managed to stay one step ahead of the barrage.

Nova's eyes were completely engulfed in purple flame. She kept herself in the sky with her fire. As Lithium jumped on a boulder, Nova threw her body into the ground. She used her magic, just like Ruby had taught her, to command the canyon and hit him with a boulder.

"What?"

"Maidens can use all the elements with training!" Nova growled. She stomped her foot. Pebbles from the river gathered around her. "My master is Ruby Rose-Arc, the greatest huntress to ever live and the Spring Maiden." The pebbles turned into molten rocks. "It only makes sense that the second element I started to master was hers."

The pebbles started rocketing towards him. Each one exploded on impact as Lithium dodged them. Nova went from shooting one at a time to five at a time. Lithium smacked the rocks away with a force that created a gust of wind. Nova sheltered her eyes as the rocks blew past her and exploded.

Lithium drop kicked her in the head. She spun around with her knife in her tail and cut his face. He grabbed her tail and slammed her to the ground. He grabbed her throat and started choking her. He started punching her with his other hand.

"Just give it up already!" He said. Nova felt her power draining. "Just give it up and die!"

"Ku…so…" She choked out. Her eyes were watering with acidic tears. If only she had gotten the hang of manipulating water she could use her sweat and tears as a weapon. Her mind started going blank. Her face was beat red. He was too strong, too heavy. She tried commanding him to melt, but the only think that melted was his skin pain.

"I'd say to just relax." Lithium said. "But I'm not sure exactly what this is going to be like for you. In short…your days as a Maiden, and probably a living person, are done."

"AHHH!" She gave a gargled scream. Fire poured from her mouth and scorched his eyes. Lithium instinctually leaned back. Nova got momentum to kick his off her. She rolled onto her stomach to catch her breath.

Lithium kicked her in the head. Nova swiped her hand on the ground. A molten pillar shot from the ground and smacked into him. She grabbed her sword and swung at him. He dodged it and punched her in the face.

"Looks like you're all out of gas." Lithium said.

"No, I'm not!" She pulsated again. Her blades were superheated and clashed with his. He hooked his weapons into hers thrust them up, disarming her. Nova hit him with a right hook and kicked him in the chest. She wrapped her tail around his wrist and pulled him into a kick.

He blocked her next punch and traded a blow to her stomach. He kicked her knees out and grabbed her by the hair. He grabbed one of his swords and held in against her throat, choking her again. This time she could feel it slicing into her aura. She focused her energy into her hands to keep the blade at bay. If her aura gave out, her fingers would get sliced off, and her throat would probably be slit.

She had to think of something. She refused to lose here. She didn't care if it was important to keep someone in her thoughts at a time like this. She refused to think about Eiess, or Citrine, or Nephrite or Ariadne. She refused to think about Yang or her mother or anyone else that might inherit her power should she die. She refused to think about her friends, her family, Johnny or anyone else. She kept her thoughts to herself, to the blade at her throat. She refused to die.

She squeezed down on the blade. She felt it slowly slicing into her fingers. Her blood and sweat came to a boil. The blade snapped into pieces. Before Lithium could react, Nova elbowed him in the stomach. She caught a piece of the blade and spun around. Lithium backed up enough to keep his head from rolling. But it wasn't enough to save his eyes.

"You damn brat!" He clenched his eyes as the glass shattered. Nova didn't even give herself time to catch her breath again. She picked up her blade and cut his arm off. He jumped away again. Nova used the last of her stamina to hit him with a shot gun blast of molten pebbles that tore through his body.

"I've had it with you!" She focused all her aura into her blade. The moon slice tore through his chassis and his aura core. He didn't even get a chance for final words. His body toppled over. Oil poured from his body and latched onto Nova's body. It caught fire. Nova howled as the oil burned off her skin, leaving a palm-sized burn mark on her side. Her aura shattered and she collapsed.

She looked up to the knight sky. The shattered moon lingered above her. It flickered in and out of her vision as her eyes blurred. She was about to black out. She won, but she wouldn't be able to rejoin her friends as they finished off Merlot. She'd have to wait for one of them to come back for her. She squeezed her eyes in protest at the thought of Johnny seeing her in such a sorry state. After he warned her and she refused his help. Seeing his face as he said: "I told you so," was not a thought Nova wanted to entertain.

So, she hoped Ms. Ruby or Yang found her first. They were no stranger to seeing her so defeated. For so long, they were the only ones Nova was willing to show weakness around. They took care of her in a way no one else would. Sure, she always had her father, but she wanted him to see her weak least of all. He worried enough as it was. She had no desire giving him a panic attack as he looked at her broken body.

Nova stayed like this, making a list of people she was willing to be vulnerable around. The list was so short, that her mind wandered to make excuses to act tough around everyone else. Before she completely lost consciousness, she heard someone approaching. She didn't have strength enough to see who it was. But she did hear the sound of a metal clad boot.

 **AN: That was a good fight. I'm proud of this one. Not sure it's really the best fight, even in this story, but it's a great character moment for Nova. Next time, this arc will begin to wrap up.**


	101. Curious Case of Dr Merlot

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: Ahh, we're here at the narrative climax. These last few chapters are going to be on the shorter end of things compared to last time. But this is the beginning of the end for this arc, and in many cases this story.**

Chapter 101: The Curious Case of Doctor Merlot

Eiess and Scott raced through the hallways. All they had to do was follow the discarded robotic bodies to know which direction which people went. When they got to the split in the path, Eiess went towards Citrine and Scott went towards Nova.

When she entered a wide room with a lot of destroyed equipment, she saw the dismembered bodies of Argentum and the Vile doppelganger. Eiess didn't pay much heed. She needed to catch up to them.

A moment later she entered a room in the middle of a firefight. Ventus was throwing tables around as security drones tried firing at them. Ventus was quickly taking them out. Citrine knocked a robot's head off with a shield throw then used her magnetic recall to latch onto a second android and slam it to the ground.

Cables wrapped around Citrine and Akhdir as a computer sparked to life. Eiess acted fast and cut the wires with a single swing of her sword. She stabbed her blade through one of their chests and flicked a lightning bolt at the last one.

"Eiess!" Citrine wrapped her hands around her, causing the Schnee to blush. "It's about time you caught up. I guess Scott went to catch up with Johnny and Nova?" Eiess nodded.

"We should be getting close." Topaz said as she opened a door. Across the room and on a balcony, Johnny, Verdant, Tetsu, Nephrite and Ariadne walked through a door.

"Hey guys!" Tetsu yelled.

"Hey!" Citrine waved. Eiess' eyes examined the group.

"Nephrite!" Topaz intercepted their teammate with a hug. "You had us worried there for a second.

"Johnny…" Eiess said. "Where's Nova? And Scott?" Johnny flinched.

"I guess Scott hasn't caught up yet." Johnny said.

"Where's Nova?" Citrine asked again.

"That damn pride of hers." He muttered. "She stayed behind to fight Lithium."

"I see." Citrine said.

"Scott will probably run into her." Eiess said. "He was heading that way." Johnny didn't look convinced. "Look, she'll be fine. I…I did her glyphs myself. I…I'm sure I did them right." The longer she thought about it, the less confidence she had in herself.

"You did fine, you're the best at that sort of thing." Citrine grabbed her hand.

An explosion echoed and shook the building. A giant robot fell through the ceiling. Citrine pulled Eiess out of the way as it crashed to the floor. Qrow was on top of its head, his sword rammed through the giant glowing eye on the mechs head.

"Professor Branwen?" Johnny said.

"Well…hey kids…just dropping in." Qrow chuckled. "It's absolute chaos out there."

"I bet." Johnny said.

"Where's everyone else at?" Qrow asked.

"Cero and Ramil went back to fight outside." Eiess said.

"Nova was too stubborn to turn down a one-on-one fight." Ventus said.

"And Scott should be catching up with us soon." Citrine said.

"Alright then." Qrow put his hand on Ventus' head. "I believe beyond this room is Merlot's main lab…and computer."

"Well then let's go." Citrine rushed towards the door but Qrow caught her cape.

"Hold up their sparks, we have no idea what's beyond that door." Qrow said.

"Just a giant computer." Johnny said.

"Yep, feels completely empty." Nephrite said.

"You know…I have half a mind to scold you sensory kids right now." Qrow muttered.

"Hey…any word on my mom?" Citrine asked.

"No, but I caught the fireworks while I was flying around. Learned my lesson back in the war." Qrow tapped on his eye piece. "There's some fights I have no business fighting." Citrine nodded in understanding.

They walked into the nearly featureless room. The only thing in the room was a massive super computer with a big glass eye. Everyone lined up side by side across from it. Eiess stood next to Citrine and Topaz.

"Doctor Merlot, I assume." Qrow said.

"You ruined everything." Merlot said in a solemn tone.

"Where's Cipher?" Qrow said.

"Avis promised a world where the scientists and artists could live in peace without fear." Merlot said. "He said if I provided him an army, I'd have a place in that paradise."

"Avis Bran promises a lot of things." Qrow said. "But you've gone unpunished for your crimes for too long."

"UNPUNISHED?!" Merlot said. "I've lost everything over and over again. I lost my business in Mountain Glenn, my sanctuary decades later. When I tried to rebuild, those Arbiters destroyed everything without a second thought. I thought…that maybe this time it would end."

"It is." Qrow drew his weapon. "This is the end for you. There is no escape."

"You were right…Ms. Schnee…you and your friend…I don't even remember what it was like to be human." Eiess felt sympathy for the scientist. He must have lost so much of his humanity from the constant copying of his consciousness.

"Turn yourself over." Eiess said. "Tell us what we need to know. There's no need for any more violence."

"I disagree Ms. Schnee! There is much need for violence." The computer stated shifting. "I'm not finished yet! You think I want to escape from this? You think I care for my own humanity? I am the superior being. I have ascended! All you have done is get in my way but no longer! If you want something done you do it yourself!"

The computer stood up, revealing itself to be a giant mech. It slammed its foot on the ground and rose up to destroy the ceiling. The shockwave knocked Eiess and many others off balance. The ceiling began collapsing on the ground. Eiess flinched and squeezed her eyes shut. Her power went into overdrive as the metal and stone failed to crush her. She felt her power draining and when she opened her eyes, she saw the pure white visage of a summon. She had summoned the image of the helmasaur they had fought back in Vale.

"Eiess, you're amazing." Citrine kissed her cheek.

"Thanks." Ventus said. "My turn." Her aura surrounded the rubble as she tried picking it up. She used her telekinesis to lift and throw as much as she could and hurled them towards Merlot's eye. Ventus hyped himself up to start on an attack but Tetsu held him back.

"You're still wounded from earlier." Tetsu warned. Merlot stomped his foot on the ground. Numerous smaller drones poured from his knees. "But I guess we have no choice. Akhdir, throw me!"

The smaller drones looked like giant eyeballs. Akhdir threw Tetsu and Verdant. The pair bounced around from drone to drone, taking them out. Nephrite fired her guns up at the incoming swarm. Eiess created a glyph to launch Citrine to join them.

Merlot finished escaping from his confines. The quadruped mech was larger than any of the buildings. Airships quickly flew by to bomb him. The missile's bounced off his shell. A gatling gun attached to his head shot the airships down. A rail run on the other side of the rectangular head pointed downward.

"Everyone move!" Johnny said.

The rail gun fired an intense beam of energy. Citrine raced downward and tackled Eiess out of the way before the beam hit her. Everything in its path erupted into an explosion. The shockwave from the explosion carried Citrine and Eiess away. When the beam stopped, everything was on fire. A large fissure in the ground marked the beam's path. Johnny had sheltered Ariadne and Topaz sheltered Nephrite the same way Citrine sheltered Eiess.

"It's going to take more than that!" Ventus yelled from up in the air. Surrounding her was an assembly of wreckage and debris. She threw it all at once at Merlot.

Qrow flew into his face and slashed at his eye. Drones tried intercepting him, only to be gunned down by soldiers who had gathered on the fringes of the battlefield. Deus dropped in with the soldiers and joined Verdant and Tetsu in the battle against the swarm.

"These things are tougher than they look." Akhdir said as he punched one away.

"We're not getting anywhere." Topaz said.

"I have an idea." Johnny said. "Topaz, use the water that the busted pipes provide. Eiess, get ready to bring a storm."

"I'll cover you." Citrine nodded. The machine guns on Merlot's legs started targeting the students and soldiers. Citrine blocked the incoming bullets but was pushed back by the sheer force of the gun. Eiess cast a gravity heel to keep her in place.

Ariadne played a song so that Johnny's body became supercharged. Eiess recognized it as having a similar effect to time dilation. Johnny's attack charged up and he blasted one of the turrets. Nephrite dropped down on that same turret to destroy it.

"He's charging up another blast." Nephrite said. "It'll be ready in thirty seconds at this rate." She kicked a drone out of the way. Citrine shield bashed a drone into a crowd of drones.

"I'm ready!" Topaz said. Topaz created a hippocampi and wrapped it around to engulf all the drones. Eiess fired her electric dust bolt at the water construct. The water conducted the electricity created a lightning water dragon that fried all the drones.

Topaz dropped to her knees as the attack ended. The drones dropped haphazardly to the ground. The rail gun started charging again. Ventus flew up to the mech's rail gun and touched it. She strained to stop the cannon from firing. At the last second, Yang dropped from the sky and forced it to close. Qrow grabbed Ventus as the entire rail gun exploded. The headmaster dropped to the ground with Ventus in his arms. The explosion took out a large chunk of the mech.

"Looks like you could use a hand." Yang said.

"Aunt Yang!" Citrine waved.

"NO!" Merlot's voice roared.

"Time to finish what I started all those years ago!" Yang slammed her fists together. She jumped into the air. Her hair was white and energy surrounded her in the form of a radiant bird. She loaded all her energy into a punch that put a massive dent in the mech's head. Yang's energy dissipated and she fell towards the ground. Ventus used her semblance to catch her at the last second.

"Now we're even." Ventus said.

"Ahhh…" Yang groaned. "I think that was my last serious punch for the day." She said as she lifted her prosthetic arm. "I've had quite the night." The mechanical arm dangled lifelessly.

Merlot's legs sent a shockwave through the area. Everyone was blasted back again. Chunks of his body fell to the ground. Everyone moved out of the way of the falling pieces. Part of his head exploded. The debris was moving right towards Citrine.

"Look out!" Eiess pushed her out of the way and took the brunt of the damage.

"Eiess!" Citrine yelled. Yang dove out of the way but one of the mech's legs fell on her leg.

"AHH! God Damn it!" Yang bit her lip and cursed up a storm under her breath.

"I'll get you out." Ventus touched to limb and tried lifting it. She was assisted by Deus, Johnny and Akhdir while Ariadne and Tetsu dragged Yang out of there.

"Anyone unwilling or unable to fight, get out of here!" Qrow commanded. "Johnny, Akhdir, you guys go with them." The boys nodded. The group started getting a message over their radio.

"God what is going on over there?" Scott asked.

"Scott!" Ariadne answered. "Where are you?"

"I'm with Cero and Ramil. Our path was cut off."

"Where's Nova?" Johnny asked.

"I'm pretty sure she was on this walkway." Scott answered. "The supports were melted, but there's no sign of her."

"Damn it!" Johnny said.

"What the hell is going on?" Scott asked.

"We'll explain later." Topaz answered.

"Go." Citrine said. "You have a job to do, we'll find Nova…I promise. Eiess, go with them."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Merlot said. A smaller mech crawled out of the broken larger one. "What happens if you fail. Your bodies are weak and inferior. My entire life's goal was to create a civilization where there was no fear of death. Where there was no fear of Grimm. That's what Avis believes in. That's what the scientists in Atlas, Professor Polendina, General Ironwood, Salem, they all believed in that."

"Don't lump all those people together." Eiess coughed out.

"Your puny human bodies will slow down and wither eventually." Merlot mocked. "Join us, a new age of immortality is on the horizon."

"No…" Eiess staggered to her feet.

"Eiess please go, we'll handle this." Citrine pleaded.

"No…I refuse to believe that we are limited by biology. Being alive means knowing that you could die at any moment…but not letting it get to you. Being joyous means knowing that no matter how dark things get there will always be someone to smile and say everything will be alright." Her mind recalled seeing Ruby when she was younger, and how happy her own mother was every time they would visit Patch.

"Such human sentiments." Merlot said. "It doesn't change the fact…that huntsmen have…and always will…only be able to make temporary peace."

"I believe good is the default setting of the world." Eiess put all her energy into one last summon. Merlot's mech started running at her. "I believe that peace is worth maintaining…and that her…that everyone's smile is worth protecting!"

The helmasaur intercepted the mech. The summon wrestled Merlot to the ground and crushed him. Merlot fired bullets from his hand. The helmasaur blocked most of them but one got through. Eiess tried moving out of the way but the bullet grazed her forehead. Eiess dropped to the ground.

"EIESS!" Citrine's eyes blasted in a radiant silver light.

"I survived your predecessors and I'll survive you…" Citrine cut through his head. "Too…" Merlot's body shut down. Citrine had sliced clean through the aura core.

"Eiess…" She picked Eiess up in her arms. "Are you okay?" Citrine asked.

"I'm…fine." Half of her vision was clouded by blood. Citrine wiped it off.

"It's over…we won…" Citrine said. "I guess you could say Merlot's plans fell apart." Eiess rolled her eyes. She cupped Citrine's cheek. The only other people left was Qrow, Ventus and the rest of Team CTEN. So…she wouldn't feel embarrassed stealing one more kiss.

Then someone dropped onto a part of the wall. Tyrian squatted on the structure like a predator and licked his lips like a glutton looking at a pastry. He was giggling to himself. His tail waved to-and-fro in rhythm with his laughter.

"That was amazing!" He said with glee. "Now…my turn."

 **AN: That is, it for Doctor Merlot. Of course, with his power there's always a possibility for him to return again, but I have absolutely no plans to do that. So, what does Tyrian want? You'll just have to find out next time.**


	102. Punished

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: Well, you knew this was coming. The Qrow vs Tyrian fight was one of the best things about Volume 4 and it only makes sense to do my own version.**

Chapter 102: Punished

Just about everyone else had cleared out. Citrine stood with Eiess, Nephrite, Topaz and Ventus several feet away from Headmaster Qrow. Tyrian stayed perched on the wall like a monkey. He licked his lips and giggled all the while waving his tail back and forth.

"As I live and breathe." Tyrian said. He flipped off the wall but stayed hunched over like a deranged beast. "The legendary Qrow Branwen. What an honor to meet a headmaster on such terms."

"What do you want Tyrian?" Qrow asked.

"What I want…is of great consequence but sadly is irrelevant. I want, what my queen wants."

"Cinder." Qrow snarled.

"And what she wants…is your little glass eye." He pointed towards Citrine. "And her, the daughter of Ruby Rose. I have come to…collect her."

"What do you want with me?" Citrine said.

"Stay back." Commanded Qrow. "If you want her, you're going to have to get through me."

"Ah." Tyrian took a deep breath as he stood straight. "I was…so hoping you would say that."

"You've got a lot of nerve if you think…" Qrow was cut off as Tyrian dashed at him.

Tyrian swung his claws at Qrow, who swatted them away with his sword. The headmaster countered with a swing that Tyrian jumped over. The assassin kicked the ground as he landed, Qrow had slid out of the way. He swung his blade at the Faunas, who flipped out of reach. Tyrian jumped with a cross slash that echoed off Qrow's sword.

Tyrian slid backwards as he landed. Qrow intercepted him but missed each strike. Tyrian twisted out of the way. He did the splits to dodge the strike aimed at him neck and twisted out of the way of the vertical strike.

Tyrian laughed and grunted as he slid past every single strike from Qrow. But the headmaster clearly had superb reflexes of his own and knocked each strike harmlessly away. Tyrian was striking with all his limbs. He slashed with his claws, stabbed and smacked with his tail and spun and kicked with his legs. Every attack was blocked by Qrow's swords.

The two began moving faster than Citrine could see. Each clanging of metal sped the fighters up. They became a blur in her eyes. These weren't just two professionals fighting. These were two fighters who rose through the ranks and became legends, all without the aid of magical powers or destructive semblances.

Qrow flipped in the air. Tyrian dropped to his knees and blocked the massive strike. The shockwave kicked up dirt. The aura they put into the clash pulsated off their weapons, causing even more destruction to the collapsed facility. Both fighters grinned.

"So, great to see age hasn't slowed you down too much." Tyrian said.

"It has more than you know." Qrow rebutted.

"Ah, I would have liked to fight you in your prime. If only I were a little older."

"I was about to say…not many people your age who would survive this long."

"I trained my body for years to be the perfect assassin for my goddess. Sadly, my time came too late."

"Is that why you follow Cinder now?"

"Cinder is my queen but my goddess will always be Salem. Cinder was divinely chosen by Salem to rule in her steed. But you huntsmen kept us caged for far too long. But now…is our time to rule. Once we have everything in hand, we'll make our move on Cipher and take those phonies out of the equation."

"You know…we're after Cipher too. We should be working together."

"My queen prefers a three way." Tyrian opened fire from his claws. The kickback threw Qrow off of him. He ran around the headmaster, firing his guns. Qrow did his best to block them all but Tyrian was running faster than Qrow could pivot. Because of that, bullets started grazing him, whittling his aura down.

"We're not just going to stand here and watch." Citrine said as she clenched her fists. "We are warriors too." She recounted Johnny rushing in to save August from this same fearsome monster of an opponent. Eiess and Nephrite were the first to nod.

Nephrite ran forward and fired her guns. Bullets bounced off Tyrian's aura as he bent backwards. Citrine dashed forward to hit him in his blind spot. He spun along the ground, dancing on his hands as he battered the two girls. Topaz and Eiess intercepted his clawed blades.

Tyrian Shot up with his tail and stood on one leg to hit all four girls at once. His boot went into Citrine's chest. One claw went forward into Eiess chest, causing a very small puncture wound. The other slashed Topaz, creating a shallow cut. His tail stabbed at Nephrite but she swatted it away only for it to wrap around her wrist and pull her into a kick.

Nephrite smacked into a piece of wreckage and grunted in pain as a piece of shrapnel pierced her side. Tyrian rolled under Qrow's next strike and ran at Citrine. Qrow turned into a bird to fly past him and intercept him.

"Stay…" He pushed against Tyrian. "Back!"

"This is our fight too." Ventus said. She was lifting a lot of debris with her power. She hurled it at Tyrian. Qrow jumped out of the way. Tyrian swatted the debris away, but a couple pieces hit him. The last piece hit him in the leg, opening him up to another slash from Qrow.

"Get out of here!" Qrow commanded.

Tyrian jumped over another horizontal attack and stabbed down on Qrow's shoulders. The two had begun to lose steam and were going at a speed Citrine could keep up with again. But they weren't the only ones. Ventus collapsed to her hands and knees, completely exhausted from the day's battles. Qrow narrowly missed Cutting Tyrian's ponytail off. The assassin spun around and stabbed at him with his tail. Qrow knocked it out of the way and blocked another jumping slash and ducked under Tyrian's kick. Tyrian ducked under Qrow's next slash and laid on the ground to get under the next slash after that.

Tyrian propelled himself with his tail. Qrow's sword grazed his arm but the assassin didn't break stride. Both fighters jumped into the air. The headmaster spun his sword to intercept Tyrian's bullets. Qrow landed and fired a shotgun into Tyrian's chest while he was still falling.

The blast knocked Tyrian down. Qrow took the opportunity to change to his scythe form. Citrine changed her weapon to a scythe as well, waiting for a good time to strike. Qrow was the one who taught her mother how to use the impractical weapon. Qrow only used this form went he was against Grimm, or opponents he wanted to keep at a distance. Without the complimentary scattering speed semblance of the Roses, it wasn't good for anything else.

He spun the scythe around. Tyrian rolled and slid out of the way of each strike. Qrow vaulted over the assassin using the curve of his scythe. Then he fired the gun to launch the blade into Tyrian's torso. He landed on the ground and dodged an overhand strike. He jumped onto the shaft and kicked Qrow in the face and stabbed at his hand. Qrow flinched from the sharp pain and Tyrian capitalized by swinging for his neck. But Citrine intercepted and deflected the blow.

"The Rose has thorns." Tyrian said.

"I told you to stay back!" Qrow barked.

"I'm not just going to stand and watch." Citrine argued.

"He's too strong, your aura won't be able to take his hits." Qrow warned.

Tyrian slid behind them. Nephrite fired her last bullet to warn them. Citrine barely blocked his blow in time. The impact sent her sliding on the ground. Qrow was pushed back as their opponent's tail swatted him. He jumped up and kicked both of them in the face. Citrine felt the force shatter her aura and pick her up off the ground. In a split second, all it took, Tyrian shot her leg. The bullet went through and Citrine smacked into the same wall that Ventus was huddled next to.

"Citrine!" Eiess began running at them. Part of the wall was collapsing on them. Qrow beat them to it and slashed the wall away. And that was all Tyrian needed.

The stinger on his tail went into Qrow's back and through his stomach. All eyes went wide in horror. All eyes except Tyrian, who was smiling, pleased with herself. Ventus went rigid. Citrine could barely move with the whole in her leg. But what she could do, was put the blade of her scythe to his tail and cut it off.

"AHH!" Tyrian screamed and fell backwards in pain. "You bitch!" The stinger fell to the ground. Qrow collapsed. He started to run at them again.

"Enough!" A voice cut through the darkness. Cinder stood apart from the gathered group. "Leave the children…we have more than what we could have hoped." She waved her hand. Qrow's glass eye peeled off his face and flew into Cinder's hand. Then, she and Tyrian disappeared.

Citrine stood in shellshock for several minutes. Qrow started muttering something under his breath. It was Nephrite who acted first. Trying to patch his wound while she herself was bleeding. Citrine's mind was a cloud of questions. Why? Where was her mother? What did Cinder mean? It wasn't until Ventus screamed out in agony that her mind cleared.

"Dad!" She screamed and started crying.

"I…" Qrow started muttering. "Summer…and Tai…sorry…not coming…she's…I'm sorry."

"Uncle Qrow?" Citrine whimpered. He kept his eye on Ventus.

"You look so much like your mother." He said. He moved his lips to say more but nothing came out.

"Not again." Nephrite huffed. "Not again." Citrine felt tears welling up in her eyes. Then a scarlet specter descended. Ruby took one look at the group. Without saying a word, she limped over and brought all three girls into a hug.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered. "I'm so sorry."

 **AN: I'm actually not sorry. Blame dishwasher, he's the one who gave me the idea to kill Qrow off this way. Just two more chapters left in this arc, both of which are epilogue type chapters.**


	103. Raven's Tears

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: I'm still not apologizing for killing Qrow. I planned to kill him off sometime ever since Raven had her pseudo-suicidal internal monologue back in RWBYond Vale chapter 69. Volume 4 just stoked that flame.**

Chapter 103: Raven's Tears

Yang stood alone on Patch's cliffside. The alters that had sat there for years had a new resident. Summer Rose: Thus Kindly I Scatter, Taiyang Xiao Long: Out of the Fire We Rise Stronger, Qrow Branwen: I'm Your Bad Luck Charm. There was something haunting about their placement. And empty space reserved for the only living member of Team STRQ.

In accordance to his will, Qrow Branwen was cremated and his ashes scattered across the sea, just like his teammate. Yang didn't feel angry, or sad or frustrated. She felt empty, tired and alone. She failed him. She could have saved them both. As her father was dying, Yang stayed stuck in a hole. As her uncle was dying, she was running away with a bunch of kids.

Part of her thought that she couldn't imagine what Ruby was going through. She always wanted to be the hero, like the books Yang would read to her as a kid. So, every death was like a nail to the heart to the silver-eyed huntress. But she had Jaune and the kids and was spending every waking moment with them. Yang didn't have anyone like that.

Sun and Blake were in Vacuo, Weiss was always a busy body, Nova was…was still missing. They found the corpse of Lithium Batonrey but there was no sign to where Nova had run off to. Ruby seemed to know but had remained silent. She had stayed silent about everything that transpired in Merlot's base. All anybody was able to get out of her was that she and Cinder had fought.

August was still recovering from his fight with Tyrian. All the students had gone home to spend time with their families. Yang didn't go anywhere though. She just stood on that cliff, flask in hand, wallowing in her own self-pity.

"This one is for you." Yang chugged down her flask. As the container parted from her lips, she wiped her mouth and gave a heavy sigh.

"I thought I'd find you here." A cold voice said. Yang looked to her right, standing next to her, silent as a grave was Raven, wearing her mask.

"Finally paying your respects?" Yang asked. Raven stood silent.

"Do you know the meaning of his epitaph?" Raven asked.

"Uncle Qrow always thought he brought people bad luck." Yang answered. "And that everyone he cared for eventually left him." Raven stayed silent.

"No." She answered after a moment's pause. "When we were little…he was always getting into trouble. He could never get away with anything. One day…I even convinced him his semblance was bad luck. He believed that for years. Even after he first turned into a bird, I convinced him that was a special bloodline trait with us, and that his semblance was bad luck. He believed it until we were seventeen."

"Hm…I never knew you could be such a troll." Yang said.

"I wasn't always grave seriousness. Do you remember when we first met…or when we first seriously talked rather?"

"It was in Haven."

"I use the condescending tone as an act, but that used to be who I really was to everybody. It wasn't until the Faunas War that I really started to change."

"I've heard that from Dad and Qrow. But you never talk about any of that stuff."

"I'm not…the kind of person who enjoys showing weakness." Raven said. "I spent twenty years in the wilds, day in and day out, mastering every fiber of my body and every synapse of my mind to be the ultimate Arbiter of Truth."

"Cold and calculating as ever…just like when Dad died." Yang muttered.

"Yang?" Raven tried putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you even care?" Yang yelled as she slapped Raven's arm away. "Do you even care that your brother is dead?"

"Of course, I do." Raven defended.

"Then why stay the course? Why don't you do something?" Yang threw a lazy punch. Raven caught it with her own prosthetic hand. "Every time something bad happens…you just come in and start calling the shots. What good has it done? Why is Tyrian still alive? You act like you're so superior but everything you do just makes things worse! Because you don't care. Because whatever empathy used to be in your heart…you killed it a long time ago! Are you even capable of feeling remorse?" Raven slapped Yang in the face.

"Is that what you think?" Raven asked.

"It's how you act." Yang punched her back, this time knocking the mask off. As Raven stared at her, Yang's heart dropped. Raven's eyes were bloodshot and tear stained. There were bags under her eyes, she clearly hadn't slept in days.

"Do you really think I'm so heartless?" Her voice was even and measured. "Do you think…I'm not screaming on the inside. He was my brother, my twin! Even when I had nothing I had him! Even when I abandoned everything, you, Tai, Summer, Vale…I couldn't bring myself to cut ties with him. He was a part of me!"

"Mom?" Yang felt guilty for pushing it. Raven grabbed her collar with her prosthetic arm.

"He meant more to me than anything." Raven's eyes watered up. "I feel like I've been ripped in half…and it hurts so much more than anything else I've been through." She squeezed Yang's shoulders. "I don't know what to do…and now I'm here confiding in my own daughter. I'm the leader of the Arbiters…I should be the one comforting you!" She closed her eyes tight.

"I don't know what to do either." Yang said.

"I should have killed him…I should have killed Tyrian when I had the chance…"

"I…I don't know if that would have changed anything." Yang said. "You said so yourself when Octavia died…in our line of work we rarely get to choose how we die." Yang gave a tearful laugh. "I guess…when I was a little girl I got used to it, Ruby too, we were used to the idea that…Qrow was always going off on missions, and any of them could have been his last. Just like Summer."

"And just when it seemed we were on top of the world…that no one could ruin it…that's when Tai died." Raven said.

"It was different with Dad." Yang said. "We were used to that thought, once upon a time, with Qrow. But we never had that buffer with Dad. I never saw him as a huntsman, only as our father and teacher. I think what makes it so hard is that we could have stopped it, that we could have prevented it."

"That's how I felt about Summer." Raven said.

"Any word on Ventus?" Yang asked.

"She's completely shut down. She locked herself in her room and refuses to come out. We've all tried to get in there, but she doesn't let us in."

"She'll come around." Yang said. "Poor girl…must be hard on her losing both parents at such a young age."

"How's Ruby and everyone else holding up?"

"They're managing…better than us." Yang sighed. "Mom…do you know anything about Nova?"

"No." Raven said after a moment's pause. "We'll find her. As the Summer Maiden…she is top priority."

"Well…until we find her…want to um…get a drink." Yang asked. "Just…anything to take our mind off how shitty things have gotten."

"We shouldn't dwell too long." Raven said. "There's still work to do. Oscar is taking over Beacon Academy and asking for a meeting with all the headmasters to discuss everything."

"Good…because we're going to find them…and we need to eliminate them."

"If that's the decision you want to make." Raven said.

 **AN: God Damn the timing. When I was in the middle of writing this, I found out my uncle died. That's why there's not a lot of tears in this. I really used my emotions to write from Yang's perspective.**


	104. The New Guardian

The Tomorrow People

 **AN: This is the last chapter in this arc. And what happens may end up coming as a surprise to you readers. I've hinted at it before but this is when a certain plot point begins to come to fruition.**

Chapter 104: The New Guardian

Prim sat on a weapon's crate while listening to music. Patch was bustling with workers and guards cataloging all the junk they extracted from Merlot's island. Apparently after the battle the facility was in too much of a disrepair to keep all this dust and machinery there. So, the SDC had supplied ships to bring all the stuff to Patch. At least for as long as it takes for the SDC and other companies to auction it off and find a purpose for it.

"Um…excuse me." A timid voice said. Prim recognized her as Nickel, the android girl that had helped them when they were in Mantle.

"Yes?" Prim asked. She followed Nickel's eyes to the crate. "Oh, sorry." She jumped off the crate.

"It's no problem." Nickel opened the container and started taking spare gun barrels out. "Sorry for the inconvenience we've caused you miss."

"Please, it's no issue really." Prim said. "You must be Nickel Polendina."

"You…know me?" Nickel clinched up.

"I'm Primrose Arc." Prim held her hand out.

"Oh…of course…I didn't draw the connection without…silver eyes."

"Yeah." Prim rolled her eyes. "Citrine teases me about having that power and Argent, that's our little brother by the way, is starting to get a little too big for his britches if you know what I mean."

"Have you thought about getting him bigger britches?" Nickel asked deadpanned.

"It's…" Prim held back a laugh. "Just an expression." She looked at Nickel, who was now putting the barrels back in the crate.

"I'm sorry. I'm not really good with metaphors on account of…well…"

"No one teaching them to you?" Prim knew where she was going but went in a different direction.

"I was going to say, being an android." Prim grabbed her hands.

"Just because you're made of nuts and dolts instead of squishy guts, doesn't make you any less human than me." Prim said. "Forms of expression have to be taught. You can't just program that kind of stuff in. Stick with me, and I'll teach you everything there is to learn about our wonderful world."

"Thanks…but I'm not sure the world is all that wonderful." Nickel said.

"Sure, it is." Prim smiled. "You just have to know where to look." She pulled Nickel's face mask down.

"Hey!" Nickel blushed.

"Hays for horses." Prim said as Nickel tried covering her mouth again. "You're quite a cutie. You should pull that scarf mask down more often."

"Th…thanks for the compliment." Nickel blushed.

"Anytime. Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where my sister and her girlfriend are?"

"I think they went out." Nickel said. "This'll be the last time they see each other for a while."

"Eiess going back with her family?" Prim asked.

"I think everyone is." Nickel said. "It's been hard for everybody."

"I understand…I wish I could have gone out there with you guys."

"Yeah…anyway, I have to keep going…it was nice meeting you."

"Pleasure, was all mine." Prim said.

As Nickel departed, she brushed her pants off. Prim wondered what Glade and Chénzi were getting into. She shook the thought from her head. Everyone being so busy gave her a rare opportunity to move around unmonitored and unchained. She had done her part to help move all the junk here, now she could relax without anyone getting on her nerves.

So, she went for a walk. She walked calmly through the woods. Every few paces she would come across another tent that held equipment, or a temporary camp for someone who lost their home in the floods. Patch was nearly unrecognizable now. The quiet little town Prim had always known was now a giant refugee camp. It was disappointing. Prim couldn't wait for things to get better again. Even if it took years, long enough for Prim to become a huntress and do it herself.

Which reminded her that she and Glade had started filling out the necessary forms so they could attend Beacon next semester. It felt so strange. Citrine and her team were about to be third years. Most of their second year had been spent traveling around, trying to find these relics or whatever.

It was a shame Qrow had to die. Beacon had gone without a headmaster for the last month or so of the year. Now, some guy named Oscar Pine was taking over the school starting next year. Apparently, he was related to the previous Headmaster, Ozpin, and had been groomed to take over the school his entire life. Still, she thought he was quite young for a headmaster. Then again, Headmaster Suna Gull of Shade is only a few years older than her parents and he'd been headmaster over there since the end of the Grimm War.

"Argentware." A voice whispered in her head. A chill ran down her spine. She took her earphones out and saw where she was. An old barn house near the edge of the island. The abandoned structure had a few crates in it but was otherwise in a rundown state.

And it had been for over a hundred years. Prim had heard all the ghost stories surrounding this place. It was caught in the crossfire between the Rose Family, and the Grimm King during the Great War. It's where Violet Rose and her husband's weapons and tattered capes had been found decades later. It's where Raven and Taiyang used to sneak away to. It's where Summer Rose met up with Raven to go on her last mission. Prim knew, it's where Qrow had saved her mother and aunt from beowolves when Yang tried looking for her mother.

According to the adults, there used to be a powerful Grimm called the Shadow of the Necropolis underneath it. It was a tomb for the Argentware, the silver-eyed warriors who had long protected Remnant. But that Shadow, a being now known as Flask, had long since been removed and was now in Arbiter Academy.

"Argentware." A voice whispered again.

"Hello?" Prim called out. She assumed someone was down in the well reading all the neat inscriptions that were surely down there. Just to be safe, Prim texted her mom. 'At Barn house. Think someone else is here. Checking it out.' She sent the message and crossed the threshold.

She felt a chill run down her spine. But it was fear. It was…nostalgia. It felt like home. Her heart told her to keep moving forward so she did. Stabbed into the ground, next to the well, was a sword. Prim took one look at it and knew what it was.

"Corcea Mors." She said under her breath. Her father's sword had been lost at sea when he fought the dragon. How did it get here? Someone must have found it, or it washed up on shore. Considering all of Merlot's crates in the barn house, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that he, or one of his subordinates, had found it and taken it to his island.

Prim grabbed the hilt of the sword. The hilt stung her hand. She could have sworn she saw a Grimm snap at her hand. She fell backward. The barn distorted in her view. The sky turned a dark red.

A beowolf, larger than anyone she had ever seen, dropped in front of her. In a panic, she slid back, failing to get her footing. Vines with heavy thorns wrapped around the beast to restrain it while blades of light fell from the sky. Prim looked back to see a beautiful woman in an emerald cape joining her hands in prayer. Next to her was a small child with tears in his silver eyes. The woman had a green light in her eyes and the boy had a silver light.

Prim looked around and saw the bodies everywhere. The beast broke free. But it ignored her. Instead, its massive maws bit down on the caped woman. As its jaws sunk into her flesh, the boy grabbed a sword and stabbed it through the monster's head.

Th ground broke apart. She found herself in a valley. She saw her parents, and the rest of Team RWBY fighting the same beowolf. Prim began to understand. It wasn't a beowolf. It was King, mightiest of Grimm. Prim watched her parents and their team slaughter the best.

Now Prim found herself in a snowy wood. She saw Raven grab a blade of light and use it against King. The bloodied body of Summer Rose sat slumped by a tree, using the King's Chart to create more blades of light.

In an instant, Prim found herself in a strange place. There was a village on fire. A young boy was crying. A tall silver-eyed woman stood in front of him. The boy wouldn't stop crying, even as the man tried calming him.

"Son…" The man said. "Take your sister and run. Run far away, down that road." She handed him a bag full of scraps. "This is all I could muster. The Rose clan is so much more adept at this sort of thing than we are. Take this to Archibald Damocles. He will make you a fine weapon yet."

In a haze, she watched the shards get formed into a sword. Then the boy and his sister grew up. A shadowy hand grabbed the grown man and choked the life from him. The man's sister had covered her eyes in fear. But her son stood in shock.

"Levi…" She choked out. "Run." And this boy ran, right into the arms of a heavily armored man.

"It's alright…I am a friend of you mother's." He said. "Come with me…and I'll make you a fine warrior yet." He handed the young Levi a sword, the same sword that had been forged from the parts given to his father.

Everything distorted again. Prim was back on Patch. But it was different. She was in the old forge, but it looked new. A man she recognized as Raymond Rose, who she figured was the same boy that had been in the barn, was working on a blade with a woman.

"I still think this is an abuse of of my power." Raymond said.

"Any weapon designed with the sole purpose of killing Grimm, is worthy of your power."

"Still…I can only make one sword like this in my lifetime. To see it going to a general…"

"You already have your own sword." She interrupted.

"True enough." As he spoke, Prim saw Raymond as a child, watching his father build a sword the same way. Then she saw a huntress with a silvery cape forging a dagger in the same manner. Only this one, was also being watched by Avis Bran.

Prim then found herself surrounded by shadow. She was completely alone now. The shadows came for her. They knocked her on her butt and took the shape of monsters. Then, blades fell from the sky.

"Stand!" A voice commanded. Standing over her was a dark-haired man with an eyepatch and blue robes.

"Who…who are you?" Prim asked.

"Hmm…blue eyes…yet my blood flows through your veins nonetheless." His single eye was cold and silver. Prim stood. "I am Abraham, the First Hunter, Father of the Argentware, founder of Argent Way…and the strongest man to ever live. Now Stand!"

"What's going on? Why am I seeing these things?"

"No silver eyes, yet my power remains…this could prove most advantageous. They'd never expect such power from someone without the telltale eyes."

"Hello?" Prim was getting annoyed.

"We don't have much time." Abraham said. "You are here because you clutched Corcea Mors at an opportune time. The blade you hold was provided by your ancestor, my descendant Raymond Rose, and forged into a blade by his eventual wife Acacia Glens as a gift to your ancestor Arthur Arc. Those bloodlines have mixed and now call to you."

"Why me…I am but one of five."

"I do not know the answer to that." He started to fade. "The veil between Remnant and Oblivion is fading…tell your mother…a New Guardian has been chosen."

"What does that mean?" Prim asked.

"She'll know. May the grace of God shine on you Primrose Arc." A blast of wind knocked Prim back into reality.

"Prim?" Ruby said as she rushed in. "I heard you screaming.

"I…I saw…a lot…Abraham…he said… A New Guardian has been chosen." Ruby looked at the sword in her hand.

"Oh, my sweet baby girl." Ruby held her tight. Raven walked in beside her.

"He also said the veil between Remnant and Oblivion is fading." Prim said.

"Dark times are ahead." Raven said. "This sword was your fathers, his father's, his grandfather's and his grandfather's before him, going all the way back to the Great War. Now…it calls to you." Prim stood up.

"What am I supposed to do?" Prim asked.

"Stay your course…fight the darkness…you have been burdened with a great purpose." Raven said. "No one alive can question Abraham's judgement. Primrose Evergreen Arc, you are the next Guardian of Remnant."

 **AN: And now your regularly scheduled tease for the next arc.**

 _ **An ancient temple**_

 **Levi: Empty?**

 **Arancia: So, sorry about that. But it seems the Wizard has beaten you to it.**

 **Levi jumps out of a hole in a cliff. A beast chased after him. Levi and Arancia clash.**

 _ **Vale**_

 **Oscar: This is getting very dangerous.**

 _ **Atlas**_

 **Winter: Ebony, we haven't a moment to lose.**

 _ **Haven**_

 **Tethys: A meeting of the headmasters? Been a while since this old dog got in a fight.**

 **Rio: I'm going to regret this.**

 _ **Vytal**_

 **Levi runs down a hall, cutting down a dozen guards in his way. He clashes blades with Rio.**

 _ **Beacon**_

 **Citrine: Everyone is making their moves and we're stuck here.**

 **Prim: I know you all had your share of excitement. But we're still just students. But I'm in.**

 **Oscar: You haven't even started your first semester yet, and you're trying to be the hero?**

 **Nickel: We…we're already stronger than anyone our age.**

 **Glade: Yeah, so let us come.**

 **Nephrite: No.**

 **Citrine: What?**

 **Nephrite: Can't you see? Every time we get in the huntsmen's way, people die.**

 **Levi counters a punch from Yang and aims his gun at her face.**

 **Nephrite: And we lose so much.**

 **Nova sits at a table across from Cinder. She drops to her knees, choking on something.**

 **Glade: Nephrite…**

 **Nephrite: I'm tired of losing everything!**

 _ **Atlas**_

 **Eiess: I know Citrine will be there. So, I'm going too.**

 **Winter: Very well. But fair warning…things are only going to get harder.**

 **Nova and Citrine stand at opposite sides of a small plateau. Eiess stands on another end, clutching her sword. Citrine and Nova turn to face each other. Citrine's eyes glow white. Nova's glow violet. An explosive rift separates them and draws them into battle.**

 **Citrine, Topaz, Eiess and Nephrite stand at the cliffside alter.**

 **Johnny, Ariadne, Nova, Scott and an assortment of huntsmen stand at the statue at Beacon's courtyard.**

 **Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, Jet, Ash and Tyrian stand on a beach.**

 **The five headmasters stand in a council room with Oscar front and center.**

 **Eiess falls into a portal as Citrine reaches out for her.**

 **Levi, Cloak, and Dagger watch a battle from a pillar. Levi's eyes begin to glow in rage.**

 **Flask uncoils himself, surrounded by the headmasters.**

 **Avis is cast in shadow.**

 **Prim holds up Corcea Mors and lights the path.**

 **A fireball, heads towards Raven, Yang jumps over the attack to deliver a powerful strike.**

 **Tethys Azul stands with Rio Azul and Neptune, a water sprout circles around his hand.**

 **Winter creates a glyph at her back as she stands with Ebony and Penny.**

 **Ruby spins the Creation Relic around.**

 **Arancia clutches a glowing red crown.**

 **Oscar draws his weapon.**

 **Cinder creates a sword.**

 **Cloak warps away from an attack.**

 **Johnny sends a blast of light from his weapon.**

 **Jet kicks Dagger down to the ground.**

 **Eiess tries getting in between an arguing Nova and Citrine.**

 **Headmaster Suna creates a sand golem and attacks Levi. Levi knocks it away with his semblance. Blood is on his face and his eyes are cold and unfeeling.**

 **Nova comes face to face with a grinning Cinder.**

 **Eiess reluctantly holds her blade towards Avis.**

 **Avis: All I ever wanted, was to see that castle in the sky.**

 **RWBYond Generations: The Castle in the Sky**


	105. Of Maidens and Magic

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: Welcome back to the final stretch of RWBYond. This is the final arc in RWBYond Generations, and the last in the series until volume 5 is over. On a different note, go on over to my profile where I have a fun little poll set up.**

Chapter 105: Of Maidens and Magic

Ruby sat up in her bed as the sun started to peek through the window. It had been a long and hard couple of weeks. She hated feeling this way. Maybe that was the biggest similarity she shared with Cinder and Nova. She had so much power, that she hated feeling powerless. And it had been a long time since Ruby felt this powerless.

The worse part was that she was too ashamed to even share her feelings with Jaune. Over twenty years of marriage and you would think she could tell him anything. He had persisted. He knew. He had to know. That the same day Ruby had lost her Uncle Qrow, she had failed in a way no one else could have imagined. Though, many had begun to suspect. Above all else, Ruby had failed Nova.

On Merlot's island Ruby had been confronted by Cinder. It had started with a pleasant warm up. Cinder had instilled faith that the battle didn't need them. And should things start to go south, Cinder had agents in place. No matter what happened, Merlot would fall. That gave Ruby and her plenty of time to chat, not that Cinder was interested in a conventional conversation.

The scorching fire singed Ruby's cape. In the back of her mind, she knew it was an ultimately pointless battle. An exchanging of the blows for old time's sake. As Cinder gathered the ash around her, Ruby couldn't help but smile. It had been over twenty years since they had their last fight. So much seemed to change in those twenty years. But Cinder was still a firebrand. Ruby was still the hero of Remnant. They were still maidens, two of the most powerful warriors to ever walk the kingdoms. That much hadn't changed.

"The same old tricks won't work on me." Ruby mocked. "The last twenty years haven't been all too kind to you."

"Isn't that why we're here?" Cinder said soothingly. "You're the only one I trust to be an accurate measure of how far I have left to go." With a snap of her fingers, the ashes turned to blades and rocketed towards Ruby. She dashed around Cinder and blocked the attacks. She never did feel comfortable fighting Cinder up close like this. The Fall Maiden was far too strong and relentless for a scythe to do any good.

Ruby used her semblance to get some distance and pepper Cinder with ice rounds. Cinder created a wall of condensed air to block to bullets. She retaliated with a beam of fiery energy. Ruby blocked it with a rock pillar. The pillar started to melt, so Ruby supercooled it with magic. It exploded and Ruby controlled the shrapnel and fired it like a shotgun at Cinder.

With a wave of her hand, Cinder blasted the pieces of rock with lightning. This bought Ruby enough time to wrap a vine around Cinder's leg and trip her. Cinder burned it away just in time to block the scythe strike aimed at her neck.

"You've gotten quicker." Ruby complimented.

"Thanks, that means alot coming from you." Cinder grinned. Her hand caught flame as she grabbed Ruby's throat and threw her across the plateau. For minutes that felt like hours, Ruby kept trying to outmaneuver her. Something was off. Cinder was way better at keeping up with Ruby than she ever was. Had Ruby slowed down in the intervening years?

These exchanges kept going on and on. They weren't trying to kill each other. They weren't even trying to beat each other. This was a battle of stamina. Ruby trying to get enough hits on Cinder to take her down and Cinder trying to overpower her.

"It looks like the battle is drawing a close." Ruby said, noticing the rate of explosions in the distance slowing.

"I guess now's as good a time as any." Cinder said. "Oh how I wish I could go at you all night." She said in a sultry tone that made Ruby cringe. "But now for business. You have the relic of creation."

"Not on me but yes." Ruby answered.

"Do you wonder why I've been able to keep up with you?" Cinder grabbed her eyepatch.

"I have my suspicions." Those suspicions were confirmed when Cinder removed her eyepatch to reveal she had replaced her destroyed eye, the eye Levi had burned, with an Eye of Truth.

"I suspect you conversed with the Guardian of Fire then." Cinder said.

"That's right."

"Then you know that this eye is only half the prize." A cruel smile crossed Cinder's face.

"What are you planning." Ruby narrowed her gaze.

"A little bit of godhood. Not the kind to conquer the world. Good heavens no, that's too much work. So, I'll settle for half."

"Half?"

"Half the relics...and half the Maidens on my side." Cinder said. Ruby's eyes went wide.

"Nova!"

"That's right." Cinder said. "We've been here for so long, that the battle is nearly over." She pointed towards the far base where a robot was rising from the ground. "And the precious Summer Maiden has already been taken out of the equation."

"What did you do?"

"I've been here with you. Trust me, Ms. Wukong brought it on herself by abandoning her team for a grudge match. Remind you of anyone?"

"If you do anything…" Ruby started.

"I'm simply going to teach her. I admire you, truly with all my heart. But you've said so yourself. You're a bad teacher. Nova is limited with you. With me, she can be so much more."

"Nova's stronger than that. She looks up to me above anyone else."

"Because she's convinced you are the strongest." Cinder looked back. "Isn't that right?" Jet Black arrived on the plateau with Nova, barely conscious over his shoulder.

"Ms. Ruby?" She said dryly.

"Let her go!" Ruby dashed forward but Cinder intercepted.

"I forgot to tell you…" Cinder leaned in close. "I also have the Relic of Destruction. And unlike you...I didn't leave it at home."

The battle was quickly over after that. Cinder summoned the sword of pure power. She used that sword to destroy Crescent Rose and stab through Ruby's leg. Nova watched in horror as Cinder stood over her and laughed. It was over, Cinder had won. And because of her leg injury, there wasn't anything Ruby could do to stop her, or Tyrian-who in that moment was battling Qrow.

That was weeks ago. Nova was gone, risked away by Cinder. As far as Ruby could tell, she had gone willingly. Cinder managed to get one last message out to Ruby. Cinder planned to use Nova against Avis Bran, moving her against him in secret. Even though Cinder's syndicate was enemies with the huntsmen, Cipher was the enemy they shared.

"It's going to be alright." Jaune comforted her. "Oscar is already on his way to getting the Free Will Relic. Cipher took a heavy loss with Merlot. And we'll get Nova back, I promise."

Ruby didn't respond to him. There was nothing else she could say. She couldn't bare to admit that the girl she promised to protect and train was now in the hands of her greatest rival. But she had to swallow her sorrow. This was a big day for the family. A new semester at Beacon was well on its way. Citrine would be entering her third year. Prim and Glade would be beginning their first year. On top of that, Prim had begun specialized training by some of the greatest teachers in Remnant, from Jaune to Oscar to Raven and many others. The spirit off Abraham had anointed her the new Guardian of Remnant.

Her babies were all growing up. They were all worried about Nova and the inevitable battle with Cipher. They were all looking forward to moving out of her house and starting their own careers as adults. That, coupled with Ruby's guilt, tore Ruby's heart to pieces. She had stood as Remnant's guardian ever since she was sixteen. Now, the torch was being passed. And all Ruby could do was cry.

 **AN: Good to be back. Don't worry, Ruby will cheer up next time we see this group. But there's some other players who are moving independently that I have to cover first. So, until next time, thanks for reading.**


	106. The Last Guardian

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: Fear not, Guest Reviewer, I'm going somewhere with Glade that I've been trying to get to since, before Generations, when I did the story The Rose House. And Johnny has some serious stuff ahead.**

Chapter 106: The Last Guardian

Levi's suit was working overtime keeping his body temperature level in the unbearably humid forest. The Relic of Free Will was said to control the hearts of the weak. It was a useful power in anyone's hands. Cipher had already lost the Relic of Creation and the Relic of Knowledge. The Relic of Destruction had yet to be located. This was Cipher's best bet at getting ahead in this game.

Cloak had discovered this island in her research. She hadn't paid it any mind before but considering where the Creation Relic had been, this was their best bet. Levi had found the temple without too much effort. The stone pyramid was covered in foliage and waterfalls. It had likely been untouched for thousands of years.

Levi kicked the stone door down and made his way through the hallway. He paid little attention to all the carvings in the halls. He recognized them from the stories he grew up with as a child. They were stories about how the Argentware first saved the world. It made Levi sick.

He made it to the central room. There was an altar in the center leading up to a coffin. Levi walked up to it. There was a massive lock on the coffin. He knelt by the lock and tried using his semblance to pick the lock. He tried for several minutes before getting frustrated. He stood up, shot through the lock with a skull-round and blasted the lid off.

Fog rolled out of the coffin. Levi waved his hand to create a massive gust of wind to blow the fog away. When it cleared, Levi had a good look inside. What he saw was not pleasing.

"Empty." He growled.

"So sorry about that." A voice said. "But it seems the Wizard beat you to it."

Levi spun around and fired a construct shaped like a javelin. It was blocked by an arrow of condensed wind. A figure in a feathery cape and a leathery bird mask blocked the entrance. His mask seemed to float over his face rather than being strapped on.

"Are you the guardian of this temple?" Levi asked.

"Not exactly." He said. "My name is Arancia. I'm actually the Guardian that resided over the Relic of Knowledge."

"And the Guardian of this temple?" Levi asked.

"Sahasrala turned back to dust when his role was fulfilled. I am the Last Guardian."

"So, it's just you and me." Levi stated.

"You already lost Seerlivey." Arancia said. "There's no relics left for you to find. Creation and Free Will are in the hands of the Hunters, Destruction in Knowledge in the hands of the Queen."

"Cinder." Levi growled. "Very well then. If I'm to get a relic, I need to focus on the Huntsmen."

"You'll never see another huntsman again." Arancia threatened.

"Excuse me?"

"Allow me to speak plainly." Arancia said. "You're not leaving this chamber alive."

"You're a fool if you believe that." Levi prepared his attack. Arancia pulled out a bow and fired a wind arrow. Levi wasn't in a playful mood so he created a giant suit of armor and began firing javelins at Arancia. The guardian blocked the first one with an arrow and leaped into the air to dodge the next.

Arancia was running along the walls, outpacing Levi's rate of fire. The Argentware decided to play trick. He dropped his construct and switched to his gun. As Arancia spun to fire, Levi turned invisible with his suit's stealth function, leaving behind a clone. Arancia's bullet blasted the clone.

"These arrows are designed to slay a Maiden." Arancia gloated. "The Summer Maiden at that. There was only so long your…" Levi struck him at the base of his neck and fired a skull-round through Arancia's bow. He followed up with another batch of clones and a shotgun kick to the face. Arancia stumbled into the waiting arms of a clone that body slammed him.

Arancia rolled out of the way of an axe kick only to be caught by an axe construct. The guardian was backed in a corner. Levi was relentless with his strikes. He changed constructs on the fly, keeping his moves from being predictable. Arancia struck back with his clawed hand as it scraped Levi's armor.

He took that chance to roll out of the way of the Argentware's next strike. He was fast, but Levi had trained his body to keep up with Ruby. He used his constructs to throw knives at Arancia. There was only one pathway to escape the barrage and Levi would be there to intercept. Arancia stopped and took part of the barrage, obviously seeing that as the path of least resistance. No matter, that gave Levi the perfect time to shoot Arancia through the chest with a skull-round.

"Skull-rounds, tear through anything they touch. Even the strongest auras can only deflect them." Levi said.

You're good at what you do." Arancia complimented. He shot up and rushed Levi. He blocked the talons as they dug into his armored arms. Levi fired a cannon construct into the guardian's face. He aimed to shoot the man through the head but Arancia caught the guns and directed them away. Levi retaliated with a headbutt. He fired his shotgun boot into his chest and caught him with a scythe construct.

Instead of going down, Arancia lunged forward. He landed a massive swipe at Levi's face. In a split second, Arancia had the Argentware of the ground. Levi blasted upward with his giant armored construct. He used this construct to slam Arancia into the wall. The guardian was incredibly strong, strong enough to tear the construct's hand off. He dashed forward and slammed Levi into the hallway.

Levi rolled out of the way as Arancia's talons tore through the wall. Levi used his boots to launch himself out of the way of another slash. He rolled over his shoulder and landed back into the room. Arancia was rushing him again. Levi's eyes burned white on instinct. At that moment, Arancia hesitated. Levi noticed this hesitation and used a clone construct to attack the guardian while he switched to his sword.

Arancia tore through the clone. Levi blocked his next strike. In a heartbeat, Levi focused his energy into his blade, and sliced through the guardian's hand. Arancia barely flinched as the next flurry of strikes sliced his mask in pieces, took his legs out from under him and pinned him to the floor. Levi planted a foot on his opponent's throat as he looked into the orange eyes of the unmasked Arancia.

"Damn." He said.

"You of all beings should have known better than to challenge me." Levi growled. "But I see you're sporting a completely different look than any of your prior lives...Arancia...or should I call you...Avarice."

"After all this time, I couldn't fight my instinctual fear of your kind." Avarice smiled. He looked almost like a human but with skin as dark as night and eyes a burning orange. "It appears I do look like a man now...my theory is that it's because in my last life I managed to merge my body with Raven Branwen for a short time."

"I'd ask how you came back from Oblivion, but knowing how this system works...I'd say it was Avis Bran's unquenchable thirst for all the knowledge in this world."

"You'd be correct. I am Avarice, the Grimm of Greed. And before you ask, no, to my knowledge none of my brethren have returned from Oblivion either. Though, the Wizard and the Witch have managed to pass all their knowledge onto their proper heirs."

"So then...the world really did change forever." The thought caused another spurt of rage in Levi. He had been told his entire life that the world was set in stone and that changing it only delayed the inevitable. Driven by that anger he dug the blade in deeper. He readied a swing that would remove Arancia's head but his blade was stopped by Cloak's hand.

"He's of use to us." She said.

"Cloak..." Levi growled.

"How fortunate that you're here Avarice." Cloak sat on her heels and looked at the subdued Grimoire. "I was under the impression that the Guardians were forged by the Lightbringers...but I did find it suspicious that Avarice allegedly aided in one of their creations only to get cold feet and keep the Knowledge Relic divided."

"Damn it!" Avarice groaned.

"Just like old times eh?" Cloak laughed. "You Grimoire are supposed to be the strongest beings in Remnant yet one little blade of Abraham and you're rendered useless." She pulled a dagger out of thin air and held it to his throat.

"It doesn't help that my body is still weak and fragile. I'm far from my heyday from the Grimm War." He chuckled.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Cloak asked.

"Haven't the faintest idea. All I know is that you serve Avis." Arancia laughed. "How is the old bird by the way?"

"You'll find out soon enough." She put her hand over his mouth and pulled them through her warp gate. The mission was a Pyrrhic victory. They may have been too late to catch the relic, but now they had a Grimoire in captivity.

 **AN: Well, that was a twist. Or, at least I hope it was. Yeah, considering Arancia means orange, and Avarice has went by Agent Orange in a few stories, anyone with familiarity with my previous stories probably saw this coming. Next time, we catch up with Nova.**


	107. The True Eye

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: Well, I finished up Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. It was fine. The lact part was my favorite. Now, I'm rewatching Batman the animated series, which has always been a favorite of mine.**

Chapter 107: The True Eye

Nova hated the situation she was in. That anger made her flames burn hotter. No matter how angry she got though, the look on Cinder's face indicated that this anger is exactly what she wanted. Nova couldn't believe that someone beat Ruby. Who cares if it wasn't a serious fight? Who cares that Cinder had the Relic of Destruction. Ruby was supposed to be the strongest huntress who ever lived. To think she had been beaten.

"You're lashing out too much." Cinder mused.

"You're one to talk." Nova grunted. Her violet flames dueled with Cinder's orange flames. It was clear that Nova's flames burned hotter but Cinder was able to cover wider areas to overwhelm them.

"Because I am the Fall Maiden, specializing in wind with the special ability to control the weather, my powers benefit from chaos. I'm able to combine wind and fire effortlessly to increase the heat and range of my flames. You on the other hand are the Summer Maiden, mastery of fire and with the ability to melt anything, your power is greater when you focus."

"Focus." Nova said under her breath.

"Focus on a single point. Hit that point with your Maiden powers. And watch it all melt away." Cinder held up a chunk of metal and set it on a stool. "I want you to melt this block of titanium without burning away the stool." The queen walked past the Faunas. "This is a test. You've progressed well, even in our short time together."

Her soothing voice sent a chill down Nova's spine. Part of Nova's brain idolized her. She had always been Ruby's greatest rival and she had demonstrated a strength that Nova was envious of. In the back of her mind, she knew Cinder was enticing her, using her Vacuan power worship to earn respect and admiration. And Nova was falling into it. The Faunas had to constantly remind herself that, even though their goals aligned, and Cipher was the true enemy, Cinder and her cronies were still villains.

"Don't mess it up." Jet mused. Nova had to admit, Jet did make it easier to keep hating this gang with a burning passion. He was the only other one that Nova had interacted with since coming here. Everyone else was constantly busy with their own missions and hobbies. Jet had been the one to find Nova unconscious in that riverbed after she destroyed Lithium. And he had stuck around to antagonize her ever since.

"I'd like to see you do something like this." Nova quipped back.

"Nah, I'm not a Maiden and I'm not a girl so I'll never be." Jet tossed an empty soda can into the air and thrust hit foot up, firing multiple shots from his boots. Each bullet tore a hole in the can. "But I'd like to see you do that."

Nova acted like she was ignoring him. But beneath the surface she wanted nothing more than to melt that smug prick look off his face. Even though she had become impossibly and exponentially stronger since then, she still had a sore spot in her pride from the humiliating defeat he dealt her over year earlier.

Nova kept on focusing. Jet moved to pester her but Cinder silenced him. She focused on the metal block. She imagined it as an enemy, like Lithium or Jet...or her mom. She imagined it bending to her will, becoming malleable under her power. Her eyes began to glow the tell-tale violet. A small ball, the size of an acorn, gathered in her hands and she shot it at the metal block.

"Melt!" She commanded. The blast of energy hit. The metal block stayed in position for a minute. Then, it started to drip and ooze like an ice-cream sandwich that was left out in the sun.

"Well done!" Cinder clapped. The metal block began to run down the stool and boil. "I believe you are ready." Cinder stood in front of her. She had a look of admiration on her face. In that moment, Nova understood the similarities and difference between Ruby and Cinder. Both were strong and confident and deserved respect yet were oddly affectionate and nurturing. But there was something colder in Cinder's fiery eyes. Whereas Ruby always introduced herself as a mother first, and played down the impact she had made; Cinder embraced it and flaunted it. She didn't just deserve respect and admiration, she demanded it. Her every mannerism was practiced and calculated to deliver the singular message, she was the best and she knew it.

"Ready for what?" Nova asked.

"To create a relic." Cinder said.

"What do you mean create?"

"Well, there's a reason I decided to train you instead of housing you like a guest at a hotel." Cinder said as she put a hand on Nova's stomach. "The Relic of Knowledge was split in two after its initial creation. Those two parts became the Eyes of Truth." She used her other hand to remove her eye-patch and pull out the artifact from her eye socket.

The Eye of Truth began to glow. Nova felt a pit in her stomach convulse. She dropped to her knees and vomited. She felt something moving inside of her. She didn't understand what was going on. All she could feel was a violent storm inside her stomach. Her eyes began to water and she was sweating acid. After Nova dropped to her knees, Cinder held the golf ball sized Eye of Truth in front of her face and used her other hand to rub Nova's back.

"What's happening?" Nova choked out. Her ears began ringing and the airs on her tail went stiff.

"There are two Eyes of Truth. One was passed to the Wizard, then Ozpin then later given to Salem in an act of mercy, saving her life and dooming her to a fate of reincarnation after all four Maiden spirits were ripped from her body. The other was given to Abraham, the first hunter. The one possessed by Salem switched hands between Avarice and herself hundreds of times throughout the thousands of years. It vanished with her at the end of the Grimm War The other was lost to the sands of time but found again by the Arbiters after the war. That is the one I possess and in these months I have used it just as he had."

"You're..." Nova's thought was confirmed in a dark red storm of energy that poured from her every orifice. The room changed to that of a shadowy realm. She recognized it from stories...Oblivion. "You're bringing it back."

"Avarice always had a contingency to bring the Eyes together. For that, he would need one Eye and the Summer Maiden. Using their powers together, he could summon the other Eye, no matter where it may be. And only by using your melt ability can the two halves become whole again."

Nova's face went red as a massive blast of gas poured from her bottom. Gas also poured from her mouth and ears. But for some reason, the fact that the dark red gas was being farted out, and that it stated to make her stomach feel better, was a little embarrassing.

The dust swirled in front of her, next to the Eye that was in Cinder's hand. The queen gave a knowing nod. Nova did what she did before and melted the gas and the Eye together. The mystical elements merged together, giving a massive chemical reaction. The room was back to normal. The Eyes were taking a new shape. The dust and smoke swirled together, giving the form mass. Then it was over. The Relic dropped to the ground.

"A crown?" Nova pondered.

"How fitting for beings such as we." Cinder put the tiara on her head and started laughing. Nova felt so small compared to the witch. Cinder noticed this reaction and put a hand on her shoulder. "Know this, Nova Wukong, we are gods among ants. Both of us were destined to attain these wonderful power. In time, with that passion that burns in your eyes, you will surpass Ruby Rose and myself. You've demonstrated amazing talent here today. It's quite admirable."

"Thanks." Nova said with a dry throat.

"A celebration is in order." Cinder stood them both up. "A drink in our honor. Only the best wine for the both of us. You deserve it champ." Cinder put a finger on Nova's chin. "I may be from Mistral...but I always did admire that fire that shines in the eyes of those with Vacuo pride. Perhaps it goes back to the original Four Maidens...and how Summer and Fall were by far the closest."

"You talk about destiny a lot." Nova said.

"Well of course...details may vary but destiny guides us. It's a goal, a role we play. Like a machine, a clock with millions of gears. All of us serve a purpose. My purpose was to fertilize the world, burn down the old order so a new one can grow. I did precisely that. Whether that new order was a world ruled by Salem and myself, or a world that constantly strives for the example Ruby sets didn't matter to me."

"And Ruby?"

"Destined to be a hero, a warrior of virtue and a Guardian of Remnant. Just like me, it didn't matter if she died in the end of the war or not. The impact she made on me and the rest of humanity had already crossed the point of no return." Cinder ran her hands on the crown. "And now I see that the both of us had a new purpose. You...and all your friends...the next generation. WE are the ones who paved the roads you all walk." Cinder's teeth radiated through her smile. "Cipher wishes to end all that, to go back to the way things were and live a relative peace where they can do whatever they want. That is why they must be destroyed."

 **AN: I really like this new relationship with Nova and Cinder. I loved writing Salem as that oddly nurturing "fairy god mother to Cinder's Cinderella." Now it's kinda Cinder's turn to play mentor for Nova. It's going to make a strange dynamic when Nova inevitably meets back up with her friends. Next time, something involving Eiess.**


	108. Dinner with the Family

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: I started rewatching Batman the Animated Series. I haven't actually watched it all the way through, beginning to end, and I have not seen most of the episodes since I was a kid. After blasting through the first 12 episodes I can safely say, I kinda forgot what it's like to watch a legitimately great show instead of a passable one.**

Chapter 108: Dinner with the Family

Eiess was in her room, getting ready for dinner. The mansion seemed even colder and lonelier than usual. She chalked it up to this being the most time she had spent away from her friends since she first went to Beacon. Yet, here she was, just days away from leaving for her third year.

She missed Citrine, and knew that her love missed her too. They sent each other messages everyday. But there was still a cold air between them. The disappearance of Nova hadn't sat well with anyone. Citrine had decided it was for the best to spend time with their respective families. Because of that, the members of Team CTEN hadn't seen each other since the battle with Dr. Merlot.

"I refuse to think that this is as far as I'll go." She whispered to herself, but somewhere in the mirror was doubt. She was halfway through her schooling, just two years away from being a fully licensed huntress. Despite her better judgement there was an inkling of doubt that she'd ever be in a battle like the one she was in against the Tomorrow People.

"Ms. Schnee." Klein stepped in. "Dinner's almost ready. Your Aunt Winter and Ms. Sterling are here as well."

"I'll be right down." Eiess said. The butler walked out of the room. Eiess put her hair in a ponytail and headed out.

The table wasn't quite the banquet it usually was with guests. Despite the size of the manor, the house staff was quite small. Klein handled all the goings about. There was also a trio of maids, two cooks and five security guards-who mostly were held up in the museum wing.

For most meals, Weiss welcomed the house staff to the table, aside from the cooks who stayed in the kitchen in case anyone was still hungry after their plate was finished. That was the norm, but today only Klein joined them.

Weiss sat at one end of the table, Winter sat at the other end. Flint and Nick sat on either side of Weiss. Ebony sat next to Winter. Eiss contemplated where she should sit. Ebony gestured to the seat next to her, so Eiess sat between Ebony and Flint, across from Klein.

"Ms. Winter, will you please put that away." Ebony pleaded. Winter had a map, a calculator, and some scraps of paper in front of her. She also had a globe in the seat next to her. She had a protractor in one hand and a drawing compass in the other.

"Not now when I'm so close." Winter said.

"Please, I dragged you out of the office so you could put all this stuff out of your mind." Ebony said.

"What's she doing?" Eiess asked.

"Looking for Avis Bran's island." Flint said.

"She's been at this ever since I got back from my mission with Professor Pine." Ebony groaned.

Klein and two of the cooks passed the plates out to everyone. Spaghetti and meatballs, with some garlic bread was the order of the day. Everyone at the table also got a glass of wine, save for Nick, who got a glass of milk.

"We have two of the four ancient relics in our possession." Winter stated. "With the another one and a half in the clutches of Cinder Fall. It's clear that the arrow is notched and the bow is drawn. All we need now is the target and we'll wipe Cipher off the face of Remnant."

"A much as I'd like to see Cipher, and Levi specifically, shake in their boots, this is supposed to be a family night." Weiss said.

"I'm sorry." Winter moved a hair out of her eye. "It's important that we beat Cinder to the punch. This is a power play and heed my words...when Cipher is finished the Chaos Syndicate is next. That bastard is going to pay for what he did to Qrow."

"I thought you never liked him." Flint said.

"We didn't see eye to eye on most things but he was still a headmaster." Winter said. "Which is why, now that I've narrowed Cipher's location to the other side of the world, I'm calling for a meeting of Headmasters."

"Really?" Eiess asked.

"Yes, before the new semester starts I want to meet up with the other four headmasters on Vytal." Winter said. "We need to compare notes and stage Cipher's downfall before we have to put it off for another semester."

"Oh, I'd like to go with you." Eiess said.

"It's just some deliberation." Winter said.

"I know Citrine will be there. So I'm going too." Eiess said.

"Eisenherz." Weiss said. It was rare that her mother called her by her full first name. "I'd rather you stay here."

"But Mom, the semester will have started by the time it's over." Eiess said.

"That's precisely why I want you to stay here." Weiss said.

"Weiss, let her go." Flint said. "Perhaps having her watch a meeting of the headmasters will do her good." He said.

"Please Mom?" Eiess begged.

"You've done quite enough with all this Cipher business." Weiss said.

"Come on." Flint said. "When we were her age, we were waist deep in war."

"We did that out of necessity." Weiss argued. "This is a job for adults." Weiss' words made Eiess feel like a little kid again.

"She is an adult." Flint defended. "She's going into her third year. She'll be shadowing huntsmen on real missions for the rest of her schooling. I know it's hard for you to see that given your experience with the academies. But as a teacher, a detective, a huntsman and her father...I know this is inevitable."

"Flint's right." Winter said. "She's a grown woman. She's perfectly capable of making her own decisions."

"Even so...her place isn't on the front lines...not yet. She needs to focus on her studies so that she could be the best huntress she can be. Then one day, take over the company so I can retire."

"I..." Eiess hadn't given that much thought. "I don't even know if I want to be the heiress of the SDC."

"What?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know. It's just right now...right now I want to live the rest of my life on the battlefield with Citrine."

"Don't be ridiculous." Weiss scoffed.

"I'm not being ridiculous." Eiess tried to defend.

"You should be proud of her." Winter said.

"It's a childish notion." Weiss argued.

"You're sounding a lot like your father." Flint pushed.

"I am NOT my father!" Weiss slammed her hands down to the table causing Eiess to flinch, and her heart to skip a couple beats. "I want what's best for her. If she wants to live the rest of her life with Citrine that's fine by me. But the notion of living your whole life on the battlefield is an absurdly childish one. Ruby realized it. I realized it. We all did and I hope for your safety Citrine has realized it too. As for the future of the SDC, we'll talk about it at a more appropriate time."

"I see." Eiess let out her held breath.

"Well, if she doesn't want it, I'll take it." Nick perked up.

"Thank you Nicholas." Weiss said as she took another drink of her wine.

"I mean, being a huntsman is cool and all, and I do want to be like great-grandpa." Nick said. "The Schnees have always been a noble family. But it was when the daughter of a miner married the Schnee heir that the SDC became what it is today."

"That does seem to have been a bit of a tradition." Weiss wiped some spaghetti sauce from her mouth. "My mother was also a daughter of a miner. I'm actually the first member of our family not to marry some nobleman or miner."

"Instead you married a dashingly handsome huntsman." Flint said.

"Narcissist." Weiss muttered. "Eiess, you can go with your aunt Winter." She submitted. "And when it comes time to strike at Cipher's throat, you can go. I won't stop you. But I'm going with you on that day."

"But mom you can't." Eiess pleaded. In an instant, Weiss shot across the table and poked her in the forehead. Eiess' eyes were wide. She didn't even see her mother move. She was almost as fast as Citrine.

"Do not be hypocritical in your assertions." Weiss warned with a cold and level voice. "You still have a long way to go before you're on my level. I may not be an active huntress but my skills are as sharp as ever. I was a prodigious mage in my day. And I have every right and ability to step on the front lines with my daughter. I would go to the meeting as well, but on such short notice...I'm a busy woman."

"Well then." Winter said. "We're in agreement. I for one look forward to seeing if you're still capable."

"Unlike Jaune, or anyone else who's been relaxing since the war, I always had quite the combat aptitude. And my strength was always in my knowledge of dust and the diversity of our semblance."

"Now who's the narcissist?" Flint teased.

"Quiet you." Weiss huffed.

"It's time for us to leave." Winter said.

"Leaving so soon?" Weiss asked.

"We need to set up the meeting." Winter said. "Quick Ebony, we haven't a moment to lose." Winter stood up and walked out of the room.

"Ms. Winter." Ebony said with a sigh. "Thank you for having us Mrs. Schnee." Ebony gave a bow. "I'll come by and pick Eiess up when we leave for Vytal."

"Thank you." Eiess stood up. "I'll get my things ready for when we leave."

 **AN: I had trouble with the pacing in this chapter. I wanted to show more of the family dynamic and set up the fact that Team RWBY will be having something of a last hurrah and full on passing of the torch in this arc. Next time, a new team assembles.**


	109. New Kids on the Block

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: You know what, when I do eventually do a continuation of this, after volume 5 is here, I'm going to try to take more inspiration from comic books with a rogues gallery of independently motivated criminals rather than the big villain groups I (and every other anime) have utilized.**

Chapter 109: New Kids on the Block

Citrine sat in the yard with a pulp adventure book in her hand. Her parents had gone on a lunch date so Citrine was on babysitting duty. Not that there was much to babysit. Prim and Glade were practically adults. Their first semester at Beacon was less than a week away.

Prim had been practicing with Corcea Mors, trying to get the hang of the treasured heirloom. She was always a sword fighter anyway, but the weapon she built at Signal was a sword that split into two guns. She kept the guns holstered on her legs, and had even been working on a contraption that shot them to her hands. But now those guns' only use was when Prim needed dust.

Glade was also training with his spear and shield. Both he and Prim were defensive fighters, but Glade probably had the better defense. Unlike Prim, he had actually asked Citrine for advice on how to get the most out of his circular shield. He was currently going through some combinations utilizing the whole weapon and shield.

Argent and Gelb were easier. Argent was sitting next to Citrine with his scroll, determined to pass every level on some puzzle game. Gelb meanwhile had wandered into the grass with a stick. The toddler waddled around, swinging the stick, mimicking the twins' moves. Citrine laughed and Prim caught notice of their baby brother.

"Awe." Prim swooned. "Come here buddy." She jogged towards him and he moved as fast as his little legs could carry him. He tripped and fell in the dirt but before he could react, Prim had grabbed him and threw him into the air causing an infectious laughter from the toddler.

"Prim sure is having fun." Argent said. "Were you like that with me?" His voice cracked and was uneven.

"A little I guess." Citrine shrugged.

"Who's a cute little boy?" Prim kissed Gelb on the cheek. "You are!" She sat down and started tickling him. After a minute she let him go. He waddled up to Glade, who ignored him for the most part.

"Hey bud." Gelb said as he put a hand on the toddler's head and turned him away.

Gelb was about to waddle back towards Citrine when their parents started to walk up the pathway. Prim waved to them. Gelb's eyes lit up. He raised his arms in the air and started waddling towards them.

"I see dad!" He slurred out. Ruby dashed forward and scooped him up. She carried him back to the house. When Jaune caught up, she handed the toddler to him.

"No one burned down the house I see." Ruby said. "Is it at least clean?"

"Yep." Argent nodded.

"Good, Professor Pine is on his way." She said. "I'm going to make him coffee." She went inside.

"Enjoy your little lunch date?" Citrine asked.

"Well, when you get to our age, you enjoy not dealing with little kids for a few hours more than the pleasure of each other's company." Jaune retorted.

"Hey dad!" Prim ran up to him. "I was actually wondering something…" She held out Corcea Mors. "I was wondering if...I'm going to sound crazy...but when you used to use it all the time...did you ever feel it...I don't know...talk to you?"

"Um…" Jaune thought. "I don't think so." Prim's face sunk at that. "What exactly do you mean?"

"I mean...when I use this sword...I feel like there's a presence."

"I know what you mean." Argent said.

"Really?" Prim said.

"Yeah, I always felt that sword was weird." He said.

"It's probably the ever thinning veil between our world and the world of Oblivion." Oscar said as he walked up. "Sorry for eavesdropping."

"No worries." Jaune said. "Ruby's making coffee right now."

"Delightful." Oscar took a seat on a chair. "Jaune, you wielded Corcea Mors during the war...but you were never assigned the role of Guardian...at least not in the grand sense. Ms. Arc, you've already crossed that veil once before. It's completely natural for you to have that sort of connection with the sword."

"But what about Argent?" Citrine asked.

"Hmmm…." Oscar thought for a moment. "It could be that as a male Argentware...he's more naturally attuned to this sort of thing. If I were to guess though...it has less to do with the veil between worlds...and more to do with the man whose spirit created this sword and the rest like it."

"Abraham." Prim said. Glade scoffed and stormed off.

"Glade?" Citrine asked.

"I wonder if that means Levi has a similar connection." Jaune said. Citrine stood up to follow Glade.

"Could be." Oscar said. "After all, we did first here about the thinning veil when Ruby crossed over there. And she did so thanks to a bomb that was created with the help of Levi."

"Glade, wait up!" Citrine caught up to her brother. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Glade repeated. "It's bullshit!" He snapped back around. "You get to be this team leader who goes on all these incredible missions. Argent gets to be a prodigy fighter with a scary high IQ and apparently psychic powers that lets him talk to magic swords…"

"That's not exactly how it works."

"Prim gets to be the Guardian of Remnant and get Dad's sword. Everyone's talking about her like she's some destined savior. What about me? I'm her twin. We were supposed to be two birds of a feather. Now...she's just leaving me in the dust."

"Glade…" Citrine put a hand on her little brother's shoulder.

"I don't want to be left behind. And I don't want us to end up like Raven and Qrow."

"I understand." Citrine didn't know what to say to him. "But Guardian or not...Prim is going to need you. I know the two of you need each other and will continue to need each other." She gave him a hug. "You're both so strong. You're both stronger than I was at your age. Your grades and your combat ratings were much higher than mine when I graduated Signal. You're going to be excellent huntsmen."

"Glade!" Oscar called. "A word." Glade walked back to the porch with his head hung low. Prim gave him a longing look and a comforting smile.

"Yes?" Glade asked. Oscar took the coffee Ruby had given him and started sipping it.

"With it being my first year, and with everything going on in the world...I decided to change the way Beacon selects its teams...just for this year."

"What do you mean?" Glade asked.

"I'm handpicking the teams based on combat aptitude, complimentary abilities, and combat prowess." Oscar said. "That was another reason why I came here."

"You've already picked our teams." Glade said.

"The first thing that struck out to me was a parallel between you twins. Aside from your near identical semblances...you have a lot in common with your father and his first partner."

"Pyrrha." Jaune muttered. "She helped make me into the capable warrior I was in my youth. Her death drove your mother and I to form Team RNJR. Glade, your middle name is a memento of her sacrifice."

"Oh." Glade swallowed. Gladiolus Pyrrhus Arc, Citrine had heard the stories of why Jaune named him that.

"And so I built the team around the concept...of being the team that the original Team JNPR never had a chance to be." Oscar continued.

"Wait...I only know one person who's anything like Aunt Nora." Prim said as she swallowed hard. Glade's face lit up a bit.

"You might not get along with him but your brother does." Oscar said.

"Chénzi!" Prim and Glade said together. Glade sounded pleased, Prim, not so much.

"Chénzi Ren will be a part of your team."

"No!" Prim whined.

"Yes!" Glade cheered.

"Which leaves one other person." Oscar said. "Those who value stealth and patience aren't exactly in short supply."

"Please be Nephrite." Glade said.

"Nephrite already has a team." Prim hit him on the back of the head.

"Lucky for us...there's a prospective student who fits the mold for both Lie Ren...and Penny Polendina, who replaced Pyrrha Nikos on Team JNPR at the start of the Grimm War." Oscar snapped his fingers. A figure dropped silently from the roof.

"Nickel!" Prim and Citrine said together.

"Hey." Nickel said bashfully.

"Nickel Polendina personally requested to come to Beacon, and be on Prim's team." Oscar informed. "It seems you left quite the impression on her when you met before."

"I'd be honored if you'd have me." Nickel said with a bow.

"Of course." Prim said with a smile. "It's be nice to balance out Glade and Chénzi's antics with some sense."

"Yeah...I guess that'd be cool." Glade said.

"Good. Tomorrow I'm leaving for Vytal to meet with the other headmasters. I'd like for your team to join us." Oscar said. "Citrine, you and your friends are welcome to join us. This meeting concerns all of you. But it's all politics and legal business, boring stuff really. Could be a learning experience. And I know that if you're anything like your parents, you'll want to know what's going on."

"I'd love to go." Citrine said.

"Very well." Oscar stood.

"Wait, what's our team name going to be?" Prim asked.

"Primrose Arc..." Oscar started. "Gladiolus Arc, Nickel Polendina and Chénzi Ren...from this day forward you will be known as Team P-N-G-C, Pink. Primrose...you will be the leader. You have quite the legacy to live up to. Both your parents and your older sister had this same burden. I look forward to seeing how you handle it."

 **AN: Team PNGC has been christened. I was going to add Chénzi to this chapter but decided I had enough characters. So, he'll be in the next chapter with this group. This was also the easiest chapter to write in a long time. Instead of actually adding stuff and trying to make it work, and make it satisfying, I actually had to cut some stuff out so I have stuff for future chapters.**


	110. An Invitation

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: And now to bring back the character I've used as an audience POV is also going to feature characters that haven't had much of a chance to shine in this story. So, good on that.**

Chapter 110: An Invitation

Topaz stirred in her sleep. Something about the bed in Azul Manor never sat right with her. She was always more comfortable sleeping on her ship, or in her bed at Beacon. But it wasn't just the discomfort that kept her turning. She was having another dream. Arancia had met her again.

He looked different. His cape was tattered. His mask was cracked, showing dark skin and orange eyes beneath. He was on his hands and knees looking at her. He had a spear in his back pinning him to the ground.

"You're in danger." Arancia said.

"What's going on?" Topaz asked.

"There's not much time to explain. Avis Bran has captured me."

"What? Where are you?"

"There's...there's going to be a meeting of Headmasters! Cipher is going to attack it. You have to warn your grandfather."

"Alright, alright, but where are you?"

"I don't know. The one called Cloak teleported me."

"Alright...but how do we find you?"

"The others are already hot on their tail. It's why they're attacking the headmasters. But don't worry about me! I'm as good as dead anyway. It's only a matter of time!"

"Wait!" Topaz felt a blast of wind in her face. The world around her went dark and she was back home. She stirred herself awake. She gave herself a minute to wake up before getting dressed and heading down the stairs.

Her mother was already up and making breakfast. Biscuits and gravy, not necessarily Topaz's favorite but she definitely liked it. Natalie was whistling a song to herself as she set the plates.

"Morning Topaz." She said.

"Hey Mom." Topaz sat down. "Any idea what grandpa is doing today?"

"He's leaving for Vytal later. Your father is thinking about going with him."

"I want to go too." Topaz said.

"Well, it is on the way to Vale, so I'm sure they'll let you tag along." Natalie noted.

"It's not just that." Topaz spun her fork around the biscuits. "I think there's going to be trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Natalie asked. Topaz had yet to tell her parents about Arancia and how she'd been contacting him.

"I just have a feeling." Topaz said. She picked at her food for the next twenty minutes.

"You don't seem to have much of an appetite." Natalie said. "Anything else wrong?"

"No...just...I have a really bad feeling about this." Topaz sighed. "I'm going to go to grandpa's office." Topaz stood up. "I might be back later, but if I'm not and I just go to Vytal from there, I'll talk to you later."

"Alright sweetheart." Natalie hugged her and kissed her cheek. "Take care."

"I'll try."

Topaz made her way up to Haven Academy. She had taken this path numerous times as a child. She knew the capital of Mistral like the back of her hand. She knew most port cities like the back of her hand. It was one of the benefits to traveling so much all her life.

She made her way up the central tower of Haven. When she made it to her grandpa's office, she stepped in. Her father, along with professor Neptune Vasilias were in the office talking to the headmaster, Tethys Azul.

"Morning Topaz!" Topaz said with glee. He ran his finger's through his graying blue hair. "What do we owe the pleasure?"

"I know there's going to be a meeting of the headmasters." Topaz said.

"Your mother told you?" Rio guessed.

"I know that it's going to be attacked." Topaz continued.

"Wait, what?" Neptune said.

"How do you know?" Rio asked.

Topaz explained herself. Rio and Tethys listened to her story without any grievance. Neptune was a bit more skeptical. When Topaz finished, Tethys gave a heavy sigh and massaged his temples.

"A meeting of the Headmasters." Tethys sighed. "Cipher has grown quite bold."

"Or desperate." Neptune said.

"It's been awhile since this old dog got in a fight." Tethys said. Topaz knew that in his heyday, Tethys was among the most powerful huntsmen alive. But that was decades ago.

"Well, it's settled, I'm going with you." Rio said.

"It's customary for these sorts of meetings to have at least two escorts per leader." Neptune said. "I'm going too."

"I'm going too." Topaz said. "I have the connections to stay one step ahead of them. It's on the way to Beacon anyway. Plus, my team will be there. I know they will."

"Very well." Tethys said.

"I'm going to regret this." Rio sighed. "But, maybe I can see you in action. Three members of the Azul family...we could combine for quite the Poseidon construct."

"No matter the risk, the more of us stand together the more unstoppable we'll be." Tethys cheered. "Cipher won't know what hit them."

"Yeah, unstoppable." Neptune said. "I'm going to call some of my old teammates, see if they're available."

"I know for a fact Sage is away on a mission." Tethys said. "Sun is most likely free and looking for any chance to find young Nova."

"Nova." Topaz sighed. "I hope she's alright. From what I heard, Johnny's taking her disappearance hard."

"Finding her is a top priority." Tethys said. "The Summer Maiden is a power we can't afford for the likes of Cinder Fall or Avis Bran."

"You can say that again." Rio said. "I never fought Cinder myself but I saw what she's capable of. She's dangerous and will need to be dealt with sooner rather than later."

"Yep." Topaz nodded.

"If Cipher is wanting to attack us, it should be easy to lay a trap." Neptune said. "We just need to get Ruby on board."

"I'm afraid that's not possible." Tethys said.

"Crap." Topaz muttered.

"Ruby Rose-Arc is going to be preoccupied." Rio said. "Apparently her leg has yet to fully recover from her clash against Cinder. She's taking her family, or at least those not attending Beacon this semester, and going on an expedition."

"That's not good." Topaz said. "If that Levi guy attacks..."

"We'll handle them." Tethys said. "This world owes a debt to Ruby we can't hope to repay. The least we can do is take advantage of this opportunity and finish things once and for all."

"Ruby doesn't know about the danger and she's never been a fan of the political side of being a huntress." Rio explained. "It's best we don't tell her. If we did, she'd either spend her vacation worrying or cancel the vacation and come to our aid."

"I understand." Topaz said. She understood but she knew Ruby would be pissed if any of them got hurt.

"We should probably hold off on the warnings until we get there." Tethys said. "If this Arancia warned you in a vision, then Cipher doesn't know that we know about their plan. Therefore, we have the advantage."

"Which will be a first with Cipher." Rio said.

"Alright then...little lady...pack your things. Sadly we don't have time to take anything but an airship." Tethys said. "We leave within the hour."

 **AN: From one of the easiest chapters to write to one of the hardest. There just wasn't as much in this chapter as some previous ones. All the lines are starting to converge on Vytal but there's still a few more chapters before the action starts. But when it starts, heads are going to roll.**


	111. Nephrite's Heart

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: For a final arc, this hasn't had a whole lot of action. Oh well, there's a lot of character stuff to get through first and this is a big one.**

Chapter 111: Nephrite's Heart

Nephrite sat across the small table from Rosaline. The six-year-old had an oversized lollipop jammed in her mouth. Drool was running down her face. The carrot-head didn't have a care in the world. The look on her sugar crusted face warmed Nephrite's heart. She, on the other hand felt so defeated. She lost her dad. A trusted friend was missing. The Headmaster had been slain. And there wasn't anything she could do about it. All her efforts just made it worse. She was still a little girl trying to play an adults game. But no more. She refused to do anything that put her life in danger. The thought of leaving her family behind was too unbearable.

"Oh Rosaline." Nephrite said. "You don't have a care in the world. I wish I could be like you." Rosaline took the lollipop out of her mouth.

"I wish I could be more like you." Rosaline pointed the sweet at Nephrite. "You want?" Nephrite watched as a drop of drool drip from the snack.

"No." Nephrite said. Rosaline shrugged and stuck it back in her mouth. Nephrite sighed and let her mind wander to the birds in the sky. Her train of thought was interrupted when Chénzi and Lánméi crashed through the door.

"Chénzi you bastard give it back!" Lánméi screamed.

"I got Lan's diary!" Chénzi cheered. "Dear diary…"

"I'm going to rip your head off!" Lánméi threatened. Chénzi was having a hard time out running her and reading at the same time.

"Oooh, Domino-kun...you like Domino!" He stopped and cheered. She then kicked him in the face. Rosaline started laughing. Nephrite sighed as she stood up. With a single leap she got in between them and hit them both with palm strikes.

"Break it up you two." Nephrite ordered.

"He started it!" Lánméi huffed.

"She threatened to cut my hair."

"You wouldn't leave me alone!" Lánméi turned away from them.

"Chénzi, you're an adult now. You need to grow up." Nephrite said.

"Whatever Mom!" Chénzi mocked. Lánméi grabbed her diary and stormed away.

"It's fine if you want to stay your trouble maker self." Nephrite said. "But you're going to have to mature someday."

"Easy for you to say." He brushed the dirt off his shoulder. "You were always like a third adult."

"That's just the way I was born." Nephrite said. "The rest of you take after Mom, way more than I do." Nephrite grabbed his thin ponytail between her fingers.

"It's not quite like Dad's." He said. "But it's getting there." Nephrite gave him a warm smile.

"Nephrite!" Citrine's voice grabbed her attention.

"Rosaline!" Prim followed behind her. As did Glade, Professor Pine and Nickel.

"Glade, Prim!" Chénzi waved to them.

"Is your mother home?" Oscar asked.

"Yeah, she's inside cleaning." Nephrite answered. "If you don't mind me asking, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I'll have Citrine fill you in on the details." Oscar headed inside.

"Alright first things first, he already selected the best team of the year." Prim said.

"Huh?" Nephrite blinked.

"Team PNGC!" Prim raised her fist in the air. "Led by yours truly. Glade and Nickel are on it too and...oh yeah…" Her usually cheery features looked like she just took a bite out of some very bitter chocolate.

"Chénzi." Glade finished.

"Oh great, I'm stuck on a team with Prim-a-donna." Chénzi groaned. "And she's a leader."

"That's right." Prim pointed at him. "That means you have to do everything I say."

"Actually…" Nickel said. "Historically, authoritarian leadership has never worked out well...neither has the other extreme. Turns out people don't like being told what to think."

"I'm always a bit democratic with it." Citrine said. "But I can be really convincing."

"Speaking of which." Glade cut in. "There's going to be a meeting of Headmasters."

"Yeah on Vytal." Citrine said. "We're gathering our forces to kick Cipher's teeth in."

"I see." Nephrite said.

"Everyone is making their move and we're stuck here." Citrine said. "But Professor Pine is at least letting us come to the meeting."

"We're going to try to convince them to let us come to the final raid too." Glade said.

"No." Nephrite said.

"What?" Citrine asked.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Nephrite shouted. "Can't you see? Every time we get in the huntsmen's way, people die. And we lose so much."

"Nephrite…" Glade reached out to her.

"I'm tired of losing everything!" Nephrite slapped his hand away.

"That's fine." Glade said. "You don't have to come." He sunk his head low. "I'd love it if you did. I can just imagine, our teams standing side by side as the Grimm rush us and we march up that indescript hill. But if that's not what you want then I won't argue."

"Glade…" She sighed.

"But you can't make that decision for us." Glade stood strong. "Trying to keep all of us is selfish. Just like it would be selfish for me to try to horde you away even if it was to protect you."

"I know what you're trying to do." Nephrite said. "It won't work." She turned her back on them. "I've made my decision." She walked over to Rosaline. "I'm staying right here. With my family." She picked Rosaline up and carried her inside.

"Neph, wait!" Citrine said. She caught up and grabbed Nephrite by the shoulder.

"Don't bother trying to convince me." Nephrite said.

"I'm not going to. But this is a rotten attitude you have and it's very unbecoming of a huntress."

"Not all of us are meant to save the world." Nephrite said. "Some of us have to stay close, patrol the walls or hang out in villages."

"After all we've been through..."

"What have WE been through?" Nephrite asked. "A battle with a pair of crooks where we all could have lost our lives if not for my dad and your aunt. A tournament I had no part of. A Grimm surge where everyone was caught in the crossfire."

"Exactly, danger came and we acted. That's what huntresses do."

"You know damn good and well that our little voyage to find the relic wasn't a reactionary measure. You and Johnny dragged us into that mess and we nearly got ourselves killed."

"It wasn't just us." Citrine said. "No one else would have done it."

"They would have found people, and those people would have been far more experienced than us." The look on her face betrayed Citrine's inability to argue that point.

"We did good." She said. "On the island, we did good."

"Is that what you tell yourself at night?" Nephrite asked. For a second, Citrine's eyes burned white with anger.

"If you don't believe that...then I don't want you going with us anyway." She huffed. "But as your leader, and your friend, please believe me when I say that we did good. That we're going to do so much more good in the future. Team CTEN needs you...the real you. The one who stands firm no matter what gets thrown in her way."

"She's right." Rosaline tugged on her shirt. "You've been moody lately. I don't like that. I want the old you back." She pleaded. "I don't want to lose the old you." She dug her face into Nephrite's shoulder.

"I know Rosaline." She said. "This just isn't my fight." She assured.

 **AN: So, Nephrite's a no-go for the meeting. Will there be an "I told you so" moment when stuff goes down? Well, there's still a handful of chapters before things start blowing up and hallways become bloody battlefields. So, enjoy these last moments of peace.**


	112. Cipher's Score

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: Not much to say about this chapter. Just keep reminding myself that this story has significantly lower stakes than RWBYond Vale and is more focused on relationships than action, especially compared to some of my previous work.**

Chapter 112: Cipher's Score

Levi stood in the middle of his new personal training hall and punched the holographic targets that appeared around him. He had been going non stop ever since he returned from the Temple of Will. Albeit, the intensity of his training was toned back from what it had been in the past. He had an important mission ahead of him. It had the possibility of being his toughest fight yet. Not for the quality of targets but for the sheer quantity of them. Only one person in history had challenged all five headmasters at once. And she had the power of Fall, and all seven Grimoire at her disposal.

Levi had to think tactically. If Ruby did end up showing up, that would undoubtedly tie him up. Even if the sources were correct, and she was currently on vacation, Levi would still have all five headmasters and whatever huntsmen tagged along to deal with.

"Levi?" Isabella walked in.

"What do you want?" Levi asked.

"It's about the raid." She said. "I...I'm going with you."

"Your place is here, safe." He said.

"No." She said firmly. She put a hand on his shoulder. "You're going into the jaws of death. Win or lose this is going to be a hard battle for you."

"The objective is to simply collect one of the Relics."

"And you'll have all five headmasters standing in your way." Isabella argued.

"You may be the most brilliant medical mind I've ever met." Briggs interjected. "But you're not a warrior."

"And you are?" She shot back. "When we started this...it was just the three of us. A doctor, a warrior and a booky. Then that Cloak woman stepped in and hijacked Cipher and changed everything."

"Cipher was always meant to follow Avis Bran." Levi said. "My predecessor told me that much. We've been over this before."

"I know. I have no negative feelings for Avis. As a matter of fact it's refreshing to have someone who can add to meaningful conversations about my interests." She flicked him on the head.

"Hmm…" Briggs thought. "Even though you're a medic by trade...it could be beneficial to keep you close." He said.

"Exactly." Isabella said. "Vytal's a pretty big place and the battle will be pretty contained. I can hang back outside the reach of the battle." She put a hand on Levi's cheek. "Because I'm sick of you going out and getting hurt, then watching you scream in agony as I patch you back up. I know I promised that I'd always heal you...but there's only so much my heart can take."

"I understand." Levi said as he grabbed her hand. "Briggs, how goes the evening of the odds?" He changed the subject.

"First things first, I managed to get some hired muscle." Briggs said. "A few White Fang soldiers eager to secure a happily ever after for the man who created their species."

"Names?"

"The Figura siblings." Briggs pressed a button. The three siblings, two boys and one girl, each with brown hair and dark eyes. "Chiro Figura, Lupin Figura and their sister Feles." Chiro had bat ears, Lupin had a wolf tail and Feles had a cat's nose and mouth.

"Their traits are different." Isabella pointed out.

"Feles has a different mother than the other two." Briggs said. "They all three have shapeshifting semblances. They're able to turn into ware creatures."

"Any others?" Levi asked.

"Ilia Amitola is on call, but she's more of a spy and thief than an actual warrior." Briggs stated. "Sadly, many of the Tomorrow People were destroyed in the recent battles. Only Prometheum, Wolfram and Hydragyrum are combat ready. Sodium, Polonium and Copper will be ready to defend this island within the week."

"That should be enough." Levi said. "I'm the spear head. My plan is to slam past any blockade and have the others keep me from getting surrounded."

"That's about the only plan that could work under the circumstances." Briggs said.

"And obviously Cloak and Dagger will be with us." Isabella stated. "With Dagger's ability, he can render weapons useless and Cloak can spawn in Grimm at her leisure." Isabella smirked. "The odds may not be as dire as I thought."

"One last thing of immediate relevance." Briggs said. He hit a few buttons and an armor stand rose from the floor. "Your new armor."

"I didn't think it was time for an upgrade." Levi said as he walked up to the suit. Robotic arms quickly replaced the pieces of his armor that had been upgraded.

"The biggest addition was the addition of a liquid material layer." Briggs explained. "Merlot patented the material for the use of the android Galium. It'll protect you from slashing blows as well as direct strikes meant to punch through your hard points."

"Like Yang Xiao Long's execution fist."

"That is precisely what Merlot and I were thinking when we added the layer." Briggs continued to explain as Levi practiced his moves on holographic targets. "Small energy cells now implant directly into your cybernetic implants. It keeps your reaction speed and the connection between your brain and your armor while also providing more energy to your body without any centralized power source."

"Excellent."

"The result is a twenty-five percent decrease in the strain your semblance puts on your aura as well as allowing you to fun and move faster than the speed of sound."

"That's still not enough to keep up with Ruby's top speed."

"But what is? You'll move several times faster, and hit several times harder, than any huntsman who doesn't have a physical boosting semblance."

"One last thing, what about our prisoner?" Levi asked.

"Well, see for yourself." Briggs said.

Levi nodded and headed up the tower in the middle of the island. He made it to Avis Bran's sanctuary. Avis was sitting in a chair. Arancia, or Avarice rather, was chained to the floor with a spear in his back. Dagger stood over him, making sure he was unable to slip through the bonda. Cloak was hard at work drawing a glyph on the floor with Redstone.

"Ah, Levi my boy." Avis said. "I take it preparations are ready."

"Indeed they are sir. We'll head out as soon as Cloak is finished with her new pet project."

"It's not her pet project it's mine." Avis said. "Just a little experiment to increase my combat aptitude and get this old bird out of our hair." He put a foot on Avarice's head.

"How fortuitous." Avarice responded. "That you somehow acquired two of the Lightbringers' dolls." He groaned.

"Well, had I not then my resurrection would have been impossible." Avis leaned in. "And what a waste that would have been. How many years? How many centuries did Ozpin, Salem and yourself set Remnant back by slaying me and destroying all my work?"

"That doesn't matter." Avarice said. "The humans now are more advanced than you were."

"I doubt that." Avis said.

"And that doubt will be your downfall." Avarice threatened.

"Too bad you won't be around to see that." Avis said. "Your days are numbered by clever little friend."

"Clever? More than you know." Avarice grinned. "You plan on binding my essence with your soul. Do you think your will can truly overpower mine. Even Salem wasn't able to contain by will for long."

"That is precisely why the Free Will Relic is the top priority." Avis grinned.

"Finished." Cloak said.

"Good, gather your forces and head out." Avis said. Levi turned his back. "Seerlivey, you've done so much work for me and my plans, and I'm sorry I have yet to truly repay you. But that day is coming. When this is over, no one will be able to stop us."

"We'll see." Levi responded.

 **AN: So, Cipher's forces have gathered. Just one more chapter before we start getting into the stuff on Vytal and the interruption Cipher orchestrates. Place your bets now on what's going to happen.**


	113. Nova Prime

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: So, I'm spicing up this chapter with some action. Nothing that moves the plot but certainly an opportunity for our resident bratty teenager to vent some of that unrelenting anger.**

Chapter 113: Nova Prime

Nova sat at a table practicing her powers. She had a ball of flame in her hand and worked on changing it to air, ice, earth then back to fire. She was getting the hang of it but every time she got to ice she stalled. Cinder had told her that there's no direct line between opposing seasons. The hardest element for Nova to learn was going to be ice, just as Cinder's hardest element was Earth and Ruby's was fire.

She tried everything to speed up the process. She tried using her clones, she tried using dust. No matter what, it took intense concentration to use ice. The rest she was able to do without a lot of thought. Whatever problems she may have, Cinder was a brilliant teacher.

Laid out before her, was a set of files. Somehow, Cinder had acquired the transcripts of her and her team. Nova decided to look through them, see if there was anything her teammates had neglected to tell her. Well, the real reason was to see if there was anything in Johnny's file she could use against him. It was a bit frustrating. The bio and dossier had conflicting information and nothing about the Lightbringers. Even his family, seemed to be virtually nonexistent. They had names and descriptions of his feelings but no pictures or any contact info.

"What do we have here." Tyrian said. He put a finger on Ariadne's folder. "Your fellow female teammate seems awfully familiar. His eyes skimmed the front page. "Oh that's right." He said with a snap. "She lived in that village I ransacked."

"I know, she's told me." Nova scowled.

"Her parents put up quite a fight." Tyrian hissed. "Enough to buy time for some Arbiters to show up." He gloated and leaned in. "Do you want to know what they were really like, in those last moments as they choked on their last breath?"

"That's my friend you're talking about." She shot up. She wanted to slug him but at this distance, he'd dodge it.

"I know." He licked his lips. "Really shouldn't be though." Tyrian dusted his pants off. "Girl like that'll just hold you back...assuming she hasn't already. Scotland too." He sat on the table and grabbed Johnny's folder. "This Johnny fellow on the other hand seems quite talented. Not many kids your age can wield an attack like the one he used on me."

"You'd be surprised." Nova said. As boisterous as she was, stealth was an aptitude she had. He hadn't noticed her subtly raising the temperature of the room yet.

"If I were you I'd cut them all loose." He made a scissor gesture with his fingers. "He's too noble. He'd do more than just hold you back, he'd actively get in your way and say it's for your own good."

"Shut up." Nova seethed.

"Ah, but you already know all that, don't you." He stepped closer and put a finger to his lips. "Hmm...I wonder which of you two is stronger."

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" Nova asked.

"I'm just so bored." Tyrian groaned. "But if you don't want to fight...I'm just going to assume Johnny is stronger."

"That's it!" She twisted her body to punch him. He backed away but with a snap of her fingers she lit him ablaze. Her fist landed squarely on his jaw knocking him back. She pulled out her swords and swung at him but he dodged and bent his body out of the way of all of it.

He slid under her legs as she jumped in the air to swing for his head. He fired his gauntlets and she blocked them with her swords. He stabbed outward with his tail-now outfitted with a synthetic stinger-and she blocked it with her own.

"You've been copying my moves!" He said as she continued to work her tail into some combos. "I don't know whether to be pissed or honored.

"It's not about copying you, it's about making me more unpredictable as a fighter." She used a clone to sweep his legs and stabbed down at him. He rolled out of the way and grabbed her ankle with his tail. He flung her in the air and kicked her in the stomach. As she went flying, she hurled a ball of acid at him with her powers. He jumped out of the way of the attack. She blocked the axe kick he followed up with but it still forced her to buckle.

She used the downward momentum to slam her hands to the ground and change the shape of the stone floor. With a swift kick, she used the new boulder as a bomb and hurled it at Tyrian. He managed to avoid the explosion. She spun around, creating a razor sharp gust of wind to slam into him. He took it in stride and head butted her. Her back went against a pillar and he pinned her to it, catching her neck between his pincer blades.

"Well, you've certainly got more firepower...but you're not a huntress yet." He licked his lips, sending a chill down her spine.

"Yet." She repeated. She sent arcs of electricity through her fingers and kicked his chest, freeing herself. She hit his leg with her grappling hook and pulled him into a kick. He blocked it effortlessly. She kicked back again and landed on her feet. He stood crouched down like the scorpion he was. Nova could even swear she heard him hiss. They ran at each other. Then a snap of fingers echoed through the room.

"Enough." Cinder said. Tyrian stopped in his tracks. Nova kept going and caught her swords on fire. As Tyrian turned to greet Cinder, Nova slashed him across the face with her flaming swords.

"Gah, cheap son of a bitch!" Tyrian cursed as he slammed into the opposing wall.

"I said enough!" Cinder created an ice wall that separated them. Nova was an inch away from melting it when Cinder caught her arm. "I leave you alone for one hour and this is what you do?"

"He started it!" Nova defended.

"Come on, my Queen, let the kid take out some aggression." Tyrian said.

"Not here." Cinder said coldly. "Not now. Pack your supplies...and fix your weapons."

"My weapons?" Tyrian looked at his pincers. They had just started to melt. "But I..."

"Serves you right." Nova flipped him off. "I was directing my heat around your pincers from the moment you started talking shit about my friends."

"But I..." Tyrian stopped and started laughing. "Impressive. I couldn't even feel it. Cinder my lady, keep an eye on this one. She may very well surpass you some day."

"I do plan on keeping an eye on this one." Cinder cooed. "As for if she'll ever surpass me...only time can tell." Cinder led her out of the room and into the dining room.

"I thought we were packing our things." Nova said.

"Well...it's not like you have much here that needs to be packed." Cinder answered as she poured a glass of wine. "I have Jet and Ash packing any extra supplies we need."

"Are we going to Cipher's fortress?" Nova asked.

"No." Cinder said. "Not yet." She passed a glass to Nova. "Thanks to the Relic of Knowledge, I now know the precise location of the island. But the journey would be a lengthy one. It'll take a while to build up the resources necessary to make the trip. But as luck would have it...we can do something in the meantime."

"What is it?" Nova asked. Cinder manipulated dust to form a chess board. Avis Bran's island is enemy territory. Avis himself is the king. killing him is checkmate. But he has several power pieces moving into Huntsmen territory." She said with a cruel smile. "The Headmasters are meeting together to discuss what to do. Cipher plans on crashing the party. It's a brilliant opportunity to...clear the board up quite a bit."

"So we're going to crash it harder?" Nova guessed.

"It's unlikely that the Huntsmen know the exact location of Cipher's hideout. It's more likely they're using the flooded lands and sigil theory to calculate its approximate location."

"Even with both of us..." Nova was catching on. "It'll be a tough fight."

"Smart girl. But if we can...let the info slip about Cipher's location then the battle will be surely won."

"I understand." Nova took a sip from her cup.

"Nova...I need you to be the one who lets the info slip." Cinder handed her a scroll. "They'll trust you. So, do this. Contact one person who can surely meet us up on Vytal, away from all the explosions and battles that will surely unfold. You can deliver the information from there. Oh, and try to make it look like you did this of your own volition. Not that it matters, it'll just make things go so much more smoothly."

"Alright." Nova grabbed the scroll. She thought about who she should call. She thought about Ruby or Yang, but if there was a battle, they'd surely be needed. She thought about her dad, but he'd ask too many questions. After that, the next name that popped in her head seemed like the perfect person to tell. So, she dialed Johnny's number and sent him a message.

'Meet me on Vytal, tomorrow, I know where Cipher is.-Nova.' She sent the message to him and waited for a response. She got ones seconds later.

'Nova? Where are you? We've been worried sick!' Johnny's message said.

'Can't say, but I'll be on Vytal tomorrow.' Nova messaged back with a picture confirming her appearance.

'Vytal? You're going to the meeting?'

'Not exactly. We need to meet up elsewhere. Somewhere safe. Cipher plans to attack.'

'Are you at Cipher's location!?'

'No you idiot! Just do what I say.'

'Miss you too Nova.' She didn't respond after that. She handed the scroll back to Cinder.

"Keep it. It's yours." Cinder said. "Watts will be monitoring all your communications though. So, don't try anything fishy."

"Awe, but I like fish." Nova joked as she shoved the scroll in her pocket. She had a long day ahead of her.

 **AN: Told you, everything is going down on Vytal. Next chapter will feature Johnny responding and finding a way to Vytal, with some help. Then, everything will start going down. I'm really looking forward to this fight. Way more than I am for the finale.**


	114. Nephrite's Price

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: Wow, lot of people excited for Starry Eyes. To the other guest reviewer- who made a theory on Johnny- you're not that far off. I'll say this, the brothers are different here then what we've been told in canon, sense this is in continuity with RWBYond Vale which gave its own origin story for Remnant. I've already paid lip service to the importance of the Lightbringers hinting at something more important with Johnny. It's going to be quite the reunion when I finally get to it. In the meantime, more Starry Eyes build up, with a touch of jade.**

Chapter 114: Nephrite's Price

Nephrite sat on her front porch swing with Nephrite on her lap. The rest of Team CTEN, along with Team PNGC had just left for Vytal. They'd touch down on the island in just a few hours. A message from Topaz confirmed that the emissaries from Mistral had just arrived, quite a bit ahead of schedule.

So she sat there, teaching Rosaline how to read better. That's when Johnny, Ariadne and Scotland showed up. The trio looked anxious to talk. Nephrite was curious what could be on their mind. Ariadne had been nigh catatonic since finding out that Tyrian had murdered yet another person of importance. Johnny had been stressed over Nova's disappearance and Scott seemed more distant than usual since the battle on the island.

"Hey guys." Nephrite said as she moved Rosaline off her lap. "To what do I owe the pleasure."

"We were going to...go on an errand." Johnny said.

"Errand?" Nephrite raised a brow.

"Yeah." Johnny scratched the back of his head and took a seat on a chair. Ariadne took a seat on the railing and Scott sat on the steps leading up to the porch.

"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" Rosaline asked.

"No thanks." Johnny said.

"I'll have some tea." Ariadne said.

"Have any soda?" Scott asked.

"Sure." Rosaline got up and went inside. Johnny looked Nephrite dead in the eyes.

"Nova contacted me." He said as evenly as he could muster.

"What?" Nephrite said.

"It's hard to explain but she said she knows where Cipher is. She asked me to meet up with her on Vytal."

"Vytal." Nephrite's heart felt heavy.

"She said there's some kind of danger there and wants to meet up with us away from whatever is about to go down." Johnny informed.

"Have you told Citrine?" Nephrite gasped. "They're all heading there." Her hand went to her mouth. "My brother is there!"

"I don't have all the answers." Johnny said. "She chose to relay this information to me in a way that gives us the element of surprise over Cipher. They don't know that she knows."

"So, that's where she's been." Nephrite's heart was pounding.

"I'm not so sure about that. Look, when we meet up with Nova, I plan on giving her a thorough talking to."

"But we have to be discreet." Scott said. "If Cipher catches wind of what we're doing, they could move the island." He held his hands out. "With a snap of Bran's fingers." He snapped his fingers, imitating Cipher's grand vizier.

"We want you to come with us." Johnny said. "It'll be safer that way."

"No." She refused. "It's noble, truly, but I'm done with Cipher."

"What?" Johnny looked perplexed.

"There's a reason I didn't go with my team." Nephrite defended. "I'm done with everything regarding the relics, Cipher, the Chaos Syndicate, all of it. I'm going to finish up my schooling and protect this kingdom from the Grimm and that's all I'm going to do."

"Nephrite, your friends may need you." Scott said. "If stuffs really about to go down…"

"All the more reason why we should stay out of the way."

"I have no intention of fighting there." Johnny said. "But we need to get that information from Nova. And you're right. All the more reason to stay out of the Headmasters' way. All the more reason why it should be us running this errand. All the more reason for us to get there, grab Nova, and bring her back before we get caught in the crossfire and we lose this golden opportunity."

"Here you go." Rosaline walked back out and handed Ariadne and Scott their drinks.

"We're going with or without you." Johnny said as he stood. "Just thought you might like to help a friend." He started walking off. Scott was the next to stand.

"Sorry if he seemed a little rude." Scott said. "He's been on edge….really ever since the flood. I chalk it up to sensory overload. But trust me...if there was any other way, any safer way...that's the way he'd be going. That's what his semblance allows him to do." Scott walked away.

Ariadne stayed there after they left. She kept nervously running her thumb over her glass. Watching her sit there, alone, made Nephrite realize just how much of a mystery Team JANS still was. Despite their time together, there wasn't much Nephrite knew about any of them.

"I know you're scared." Ariadne broke the silence as she looked to the sky. "Honestly, my instincts are telling me the same thing. I became a huntress so that I could find a new home and protect it...so that no one has to go through what I did."

"It's a noble profession." Nephrite responded.

"But Johnny...he wants to save the world. I think that's why he and Nova always butt heads...but in their hearts they get along. Too much in common if you ask me, always striving to better themselves...even at the other's expense."

"Nova's always been like that."

"But there's something about Johnny. When he does something I just want to follow him no matter what. When he and Nova are together...I feel brave and when we're all four together I feel at home."

"If they're all you got…"

"It's more than that. Scott and I went to school together before all this. I thought he was rude, a perv and a garbage person. Then we were put on a team. Johnny was our leader and I found out he's a pretty cool...if not oftentimes undesirable person. But damn it, he's my friend. And so is Nova. I don't have the answers. Tomorrow's still unknown. But when I'm with them I know I'm not alone."

"It feels good to have a family." Nephrite sighed as she rubbed Rosaline's head.

"I don't know where we should go, sometimes I feel farther from our goal. I don't know what path we will be shown but when it does I'll follow Johnny and Nova and Scott down that path. Because when I'm with them I'm at home."

"Ariadne." The blonde girl removed herself from her perch.

"We're leaving in an hour." She walked off in the same direction as her teammates. After she was going Rosaline slapped Nephrite.

"What was that for?" Nephrite asked. Rosaline looked at her with childish determination.

"Go." She said.

"Rosa, I can't."

"Yes you can!" Rosaline yelled.

"Neph…" Nora walked out of the house.

"Mom?" Nephrite blinked. "How long were you there?"

"Long enough." Nora said. "I'm...I'm trying really hard not to be upset with you." Her voice was shaky. "But what that girl said is absolutely true." Nora handed Nephrite a picture. It was of her parents as children. Nora was booping Ren on the nose with a hammer. "That was the first picture we ever took together."

"Mom?" Nephrite choked back tears.

"What that girl is feeling for her team is exactly what I felt for your father and my team." Nora sat next to Nephrite. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"I always thought you were like your dad. I thought you were really reserved and that one day you'd find your passion. But I was wrong. You're a sweet emotional girl who loves her family...and bottles up all her emotions so that she could be strong like her daddy." Nora wrapped her arms around her. "And I've been wallowing in my own misery over your father's death that I never gave you a chance to just let it all out. So please...take action. Don't let anyone else go through what we had to."

Nephrite's heart felt heavy. She thought about her father, her brother, Glade, Johnny and all the rest. She sighed in resignation as she saw her little sister looking at her with determination.

"Alright...what'll it hurt. We're just meeting up with Nova anyway." She stood up.

"Be safe." Nora said.

"If it was about being safe I'd stay here." Nephrite said.

"I know. Now go and bring Nova home." Nora tapped her on the shoulder. Then Nephrite grabbed her weapons and ran for the docks.

 **AN: Nephrite's back. All it took was a plea from Johnny, Ariadne pouring her heart out and Nora giving her daughter a firm talking to. Well, and the fact Nephrite will pretty much do anything for Rosaline certainly helps. Next time, most of Team CTEN reunites.**


	115. Meet Up or Beat Up

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: The Guest Reviewer left an interesting question. Levi is certainly the closest anyone's ever came to being as strong as Abraham without the aid of Maiden magic. But I hesitate to say he'd beat him at his best. I might do a bonus chapter at the end of this, and part of it will have some power scaling for my series.**

Chapter 115: Meet Up or Beat Up

Eiess looked out the window of her aunt's personal airship as it passed over Vytal. The pilot transmitted the necessary credentials to the dock workers so that they could safely land. They had raced here at breakneck speed but by the looks of the docks, only the emissaries from Vacuo had yet to arrive.

"Fashionably late as ever." Winter huffed.

"We're touching down now." Ebony informed. The ship came to a halt. This was the third or fourth time Eiess had been to the island of Vytal. Once upon a time it had been among the biggest dust mines in the world, second only to the Vacuo quarry, and now the SDF Zone in Mantle.

The island had served numerous functions throughout time. It was a fishing village, a battlefield, an international embassy, a prison and now it was widely regarded as the international hub for the Huntsmen. Much like the part it played in the Great War, it was a melting pot for all the kingdoms and their cultures. That's why this place was always selected for when the Headmasters wished to meet in person.

Winter led the way out the ship. Ebony and Penny flanked her sides. Eiess fell in line behind them. When they stepped out, Professor Pine was already ready to welcome them.

"Good afternoon General Schnee." Oscar greeted them.

"Professor Pine." Winter gave him a nod. "It appears we're only waiting for Professor Gull of Shade."

"Correct, he's running a bit late." Oscar informed. "Due to the fragile nature of the situation, we may have to start without him."

"Give him one hour." Winter said. "It'll allow Ebony and I to organize the work we've done."

"Very well." Oscar said. "Right this way." He led them inside. There was a long hallway flanked by security detail. The hallway led to a wide open veranda with pillars holding up a dome ceiling and an upper deck overlooking the room.

"What's with all this security?" Penny asked.

"Professor Azul has...notified us of a potential danger heading our way."

"They'd be foolish to attack a facility knowing all the headmasters will be here." Winter said.

"That's why I'm glad you're safe, and why we are keeping regular contact with Suna Gull." Oscar explained. "I doubt they have the fighting force to attack this place and Suna and achieve success. But it's possible they will try to hold him up, thus taking three power players off the board for the fight here."

"Why would Cipher attack this place?" Eiess asked.

"The Relic." Ebony said. "You have it?"

"Hasn't left my neck since we left the Temple of Will." Oscar said. "But speaking of the part detail, Ms. Eiess, half of your team is here."

"I figured." Eiess said.

"Sadly, Ms. Ren turned down out invitation. Nickel Polendina is here with her team as well."

"Nickel!" Penny said. "You let her come here? Wait, what do you mean, team?"

"That's one of the things I plan on explaining." Oscar said. "I preemptively assigned your...daughter...to a team with Chénzi Ren, Primrose and Glade Arc."

"Ooh, that sounds most wonderful." Penny smiled. They made it across the room and down the hall.

"This is one of the many lounges." Oscar said. "The students are held up in here. Back that way, just a bit is the meeting room. You can get organized in there."

"Very well, I'll see you in an hour." Winter turned away. "Come Ebony, we haven't a moment to lose."

"Yes Ms. Winter." Ebony groaned.

"I'll catch up." Penny said. Eiess grabbed the door handle and opened up.

"You just activated my trap card!" Glade proclaimed.

"Damn it!" Prim said. "I should have known the weakness in your defense was too welcoming." Several people were gathered around the table playing World of Remnant. It appeared they were on teams. Yang and Citrine were playing as Vacuo. Prim and Nickel were playing as Vale. Glade and Chénzi were playing as Mantle, or Atlas judging by the age of the board. Playing as Mistral was Topaz and…

"Eiess!" Citrine jumped across the room and tackled her.

"Mom?" Nickel stammered.

"What's up Penny, Eiess." Neptune said. Wait, Neptune…

"Hey." Eiess was in the middle of sensory overload. Citrine's lips brushed against hers. She could feel her silver-eyed lover's body press against hers, causing the heiress' features to go blood red. On top of the irreverent pleasure Citrine caused her with her closeness, Eiess' mind was racing. She hadn't seen Neptune since the Huntsmen Games and she had largely put her biological father out of mind.

"How was your break?" Citrine said. Before Eiess could answer they both realized Eiess' hand was in a compromising position.

"Get a room." Primm teased. Citrine shot up and helped Eiess to her feet.

"My break was way too short, way too lonely and way too cold." Eiess said.

"Well, I'll be able to warm you up." Citrine smirked. The room was silent. "That sounded way more...pervy outloud."

"I'd say." Yang said. "So, Ice Princess, want to play?"

"No thanks. I'll just watch." Eiess answered. Penny sat behind Nickel and pulled her into a hug.

"So, I heard you got a team." Penny said.

"Yeah, this is Prim, Glade and Chénzi." Nickel introduced.

"It's a pleasure to see all of you again." Penny smiled.

"Yeah, it's been awhile since I've seen a lot of you." Neptune said. "How's your mom doing?"

"Oh she's um...you know...doing fine." Eiess stammered.

"Well, this is all great." Citrine said.

"So um, Mr. Vasilias." Eiess said.

"Please just call me Neptune." He said.

"Neptune, sorry, since you're here...and we only have an hour or until Headmaster Gull arrives…" Everyone settled back into playing the game. Penny had her own conversation going with Team PNGC at the same time Eiess was trying to get it out. "I was wondering, what's the story of you and my mom...from your perspective?"

"O um…" Neptune scratched the back of his head. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh um no reason. Just curious. She doesn't talk about you a whole lot. And as I expressed before, it just always sparked my curiosity."

"Well." Neptune leaned in. "Sun introduced us. She was actually playing this exact game." Eiess looked at the board. Despite Glade's most immediate victory, Neptune and Topaz had them on the ropes.

"Exact same board too." Yang said.

"We hit it off pretty well. Thanks to Jaune we ended up spending time at the Vytal Dance. Hung out a few times after that. Hooked up officially during the Grimm War. We dated off and on a few times. Whatever feeling there were could not survive the different paths we took. She was the head of the SDC, I was a teacher. Neither of us benefitted from a long distance relationship."

"I see." Eiess sighed. "I understand that. I don't know how I would handle it if Citrine and I went on different pathways for whatever reason."

"You're a lot like your mom." Yang said. "I still feel a little guilty about the part I played in Weiss' misery."

"What do you mean?" Eiess asked.

"Oh um, nothing!" Yang brushed it off. Neptune laughed.

"It's been damn near twenty years." Neptune boasted. "No, the reason why your mother and I never got together, aside from Flint and her getting pregnant with you, was because of Yang."

"What?"

"Neptune." Yang growled.

"Well, Weiss and I had our last fling." Neptune said. Eiess knew it must have been when her mother got pregnant. "But before she got with Flint, officially on a permanent basis, she actually had a fling with Yang."

"WHAT!?" A lot of people said at once.

"But um...Yang ended up going for me and...well I'm pretty sure, like ninety percent sure, that's why Weiss has barely talked to me since. Hell, if not for all that stuff Vile did to Vale around that time Yang would probably be in the same boat."

"Don't remind me." Neptune made one last move and won the game.

"Damn." Yang scratched her jaw. "Hmm...it's been so long since I've heard anyone call him Vile. Almost forgot that most of the world still sees him as Vile, the Cipher Commander."

The conversation between Neptune and Yang carried on. They just talked about their old war stories and their mutual lack of a stable romantic life. Eiess just leaned into Citrine's shoulder. An hour passed and Oscar walked in.

"We're ready to start the meeting." Oscar said.

"Did Suna and Sun make it?" Neptune asked.

"They did contact us." Oscar said. "They encountered a troubling amount of Grimm."

"Well, so long as they're safe." Neptune said. He and Yang stood up.

"Citrine and Primm." Oscar said. "The two of you should join us. As leaders of your respective teams, children of Ruby Rose…" He looked straight at Prim. "And the Guardian of Remnant, I think you should join in the deliberation." He looked at Eiess. "I hope you're fine watching things from here."

"I'll manage." Eiess said. The five of them left for the other room. "Guardian of Remnant?"

"Yeah." Glade huffed and crossed his arms.

"I feel like we perhaps have some explaining to do." Topaz said.

 **AN: Well, a partial reunion. Next chapter will revolve around the meeting and the start of the fight.**


	116. The Council

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: I just got back from a twelve hour venture from my uncle's place. It's been a long day so this chapter is going up later because I want to make sure this chapter and the next are as good as I can make them.**

Chapter 116: The Council

Citrine sat in a small chair next to Prim, flanking Oscar. Opposite them was the door leading to the hall way. To her right was Winter, Ebony and Penny. To her left was Raven, Yang, an Arbiter who goes by Arachne but whose real name was Kurome. Next to them were the dignitaries from Haven: Tethys, Rio and Neptune.

"I like to call this meeting into order." Winter said. Next to her were the vacant seats reserved for the representatives of Vacuo. "We are all in agreement that finding Cipher's location is a top priority."

"And we know that they are planning to attack this place." Tethys added.

"How is it you came across this information?" Winter asked.

"My daughter." Rio said.

"Topaz has had communication with someone named Avarice." Citrine cut in.

"Avarice?" Raven growled.

"Do you know him?" Tethys said.

"To think after all this time, he returns he stays in hiding." Raven groaned.

"Who is this Arancia?" Winter asked.

"You all know him better as my predecessor, Avarice the Grimm of Greed."

"What?" Neptune said.

"Wait, if Avarice has returned then doesn't that mean others could too?" Ebony asked.

"Venturing a guess, yes and no." Raven said. "There's a chance. But Avarice reconstitutes when the greed of man becomes unbridled. It is entirely likely that the mere return of Avis Bran-a man whose ambition surpassed any man or beast- was enough for Avarice to return."

"Either way, he's of no help to us now." Oscar said.

"I wonder about that." Raven responded.

"Avarice was captured by the enemy." Tethys said. "He communicated with Topaz from their prison somehow."

"Speaking of which." Winter continued and pulled up a holographic map.

"We've ran all the calculations based on what little we know of Avis Bran's power and range, along with the rising seas." A red zone appeared in the middle of the ocean. "By our calculations it's in this area."

"That's still easily hundreds of miles of sea." Tethys said.

"Not to mention no one has been able to properly survey the entire ocean. There's no telling how big it is, let alone how big the island is." Neptune added. Raven leaned back in her chair.

"I think right now we should be worried more for the Relics." Oscar said. "I have the Relic of Free Will around my neck right now. And the Relic of Creation is firmly in our grasp."

"How firmly?" Raven asked. "Because the Eye of Truth was 'firmly' in the Beacon Vault and disappeared."

"In the chaos of the flood mind you." Oscar said. "No matter, the Relic of Creation is with Ruby Rose."

"Painting a target on her back as usual." Yang muttered.

"She's used to it." Kurome added.

"Levi Seerlivey is Cipher's strongest soldier." Raven said.

"By a very, very, wide margin." Rio said.

"He'll undoubtedly lead the charge here, if they truly do plan to attack." Raven said as she pulled a bottle out of her pocket. "And I have a clever little friend here who can sense the presence of any Argentware."

"Oh no." Ebony groaned. Raven tossed a large chunk of Redstone to the center of the room.

"Citrine…" Raven said. "Keep your eyes to the center. He doesn't have the guts to attack people in front of an Argentware."

"Wait, what?" Citrine asked.

"Rise and shine, Shadow of the Flask." Raven opened the bottle. A black string shot out and hit the Redstone. A Black Gate appeared and the thread expanded into black plant that rotated and twisted. Each appendage wrapped around the next until it took the vague form of a human coming out of the ground. The bottom half of its body spread across the room like roots.

"So many races." It said. A single red eye opened on its head.

"A Grimm?" Citrine said.

"That talks?" Prim said in disbelief.

"Flask." Neptune said.

"Argentware." Flask said. His body twisted around and got too close for comfort. "Your eyes betray your lineage yet your face is unfamiliar. What is your name my dear?"

"C-Citrine." She answered. "Citrine Rose."

"Such a pretty name." The creature said. "I take it you are Ruby Rose's child?" Citrine nodded. "And you…" He twisted over to Prim. "Curiouser and curiouser. I feel the power in you yet your eyes are royal blue."

"Her name is Primrose Arc." Citrine answered. "She's my sister but she has my father's eyes."

"Strange, I thought the silver eye trait was dominant." Flask said. "But an Arc...I suppose that makes sense. Powerful genes in that one." Prim's finger twitched and Flask jumped back to the center of the room and covered his eye. "Please don't hurt me."

"What?" Prim asked.

"Flask here is a shadow stitcher Grimm." Raven explained. "He's been in enough minds to have mastered our language. But he's also absolutely terrified of the Argentware."

"Yes, yes, I have kept my pack with your family. I haven't killed a single person in over a hundred and twenty years." Flask said.

"Not for lack of trying." Neptune said.

"Ah, I remember you." Flask said. "We fought before, during the Grimm War." He twisted to face Ebony. "And you...I can feel the power in you. You're the brat that froze me and broke me down until I could fit in a bottle."

"Damn right." Ebony gloated.

"And you." Flask pointed to Oscar. "I feel the Wizard's power in you!"

"I am Ozpin's son and rightful heir."

"Indeed." Flask continued. "Nevermore, why is it you summoned me and gave me the power to grow?"

"Another silver eyed warrior plans to attack here." Raven said. "Think of yourself as an early warning system."

"It would be for something frightening yet mundane." Flask groaned. "Well, you should have said so sooner, because I do feel a third Argentware's presence."

"That's probably just my brother." Prim said. "He's in the next room."

"By the gods, how many are you?" Flask shuttered.

"Five kids, plus my mom." Citrine answered.

"Is one of these others is the one who's coming."

"No," Raven said. "The one coming is the one I told you about twenty years ago. Levi Seerlivey."

"The Seerlivey lives." Flask said. "When I first encountered the Argentware, the Rose Family on Patch, I had heard rumors of the ostracized descendants of Gideon of Argent Way. But I was sure they had long since vanished."

"Well, Levi Seerlivey lives." Raven said.

"Flask, is there anyway you can communicate through the Grimm network?" Oscar asked.

"Depends on what you want communicated." Flask said.

"Our enemies also have Avarice captive." He said.

"No can do." Flask said. "I only have a small range. Even if I didn't, I would need to know exactly where he is to get a message to him."

"So you can't find out where he is?" Winter asked.

"No." Flask answered.

"Another dead end." Winter groaned.

"Wait!" Flask shivered. "I...I just felt something!" He shriked. "What is this power? It's...he's here."

"It's about time." Yang stood up. "Which way is he coming from?"

"I-I-I-I can't say." Flask stammered. Yang jumped across the room and grabbed Flask by the throat.

"Tell me now you little work or I'll crush you!" Yang raised her voice.

"He's...coming from the north." Flask said. A gunshot echoed through the halls.

"Excellent." Yang dashed out of the room. "He's mine!"

"Stupid brat!" Raven said. "Come on Arachne, we have work to do. Citrine, Prim stay here with Oscar and Flask."

"We're coming too." Tethys said. "Come Rio, we were prepared for this."

"I'm going to regret this." Neptune groaned.

"Should we bring Topaz?" Rio asked.

"Only as backup." Tethys said. "We'll be fighting him indoors, not enough room for a three-part Poseidon."

"We'll stay here and defend the relic." Winter said as cool as ever. Tethys, Rio and Neptune left the room. Winter tapped on her monitor to bring up the security cameras. Atlesian Knights were firing into the hallway. In a blur, Levi moved through them like an unstoppable hurricane. He was followed by three people wearing White Fang uniforms. All three of them looked more like monsters than men.

"Whatever else may remain unaccomplished…" Oscar said. "This may be our best opportunity to put an end to the Vile threat of Levi Seerlivey."

 **AN: And so the battle begins. I thought about doing more but the way I envision it, the only consistent character is Levi. So, the rest has to be from his perspective, at least until the battle carries on outside. So, next time: Levi's Wrath.**


	117. Levi's Wrath

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: Well, this is the big battle chapter I've been hyping up. I've also been planning this confrontation for a pretty long time and have a lot of ground to cover.**

Chapter 117: Levi's Wrath

Levi ran down the hall in a blur. The hail of bullets and bombs that blocked his path were not enough to even slow him down with these augmentations. He spun with his sword in hand. One second all the guards were in front of him, the next they were behind him and a second after that, they all dropped dead.

Feles and Lupin were coming up behind him. Chiro, Cloak and Dagger had taken a different route. Lupin pounced on a guard and clawed at his face. The cannons strapped to his back ignited, blasting another guard into the next room. Levi and his partners ran into the wide open room. Coming from the other side were three fighters, two of which Levi had been so hoping would be here.

"LEVI!" Yang howled. Chiro fired his flame cannon. Yang jumped over the fireball and went into her white raven form. Levi sidestepped the ground pound as Raven sliced the fireball away. Levi pulled up a clone to hit Yang while he switched back to his guns and kicked Yang in the face. Raven swung her sword at him, he caught the blade in his hand and elbowed her in the face.

"You're getting old Nevermore." Levi kicked her in the stomach and spun for a kick to the face. "You're slow, weak and predictable." She swung incredibly fast but Levi was faster. He dodged and weaved every strike. He got a grasp on her and threw her into a pillar.

Yang landed a punch to his stomach. He bobbed around her fists and landed a few blows of his own. He knocked her wrists away and lined up a gun shot. He shot her in the face, she barely managed to dodge in time as the skull-round carved a path around her cheek.

"Yang!" Kurome said. She caught Levi's arm in a thread and pulled him away. In a second he was tied up to a pillar and Yang was rushing at him. Levi created a shield to block the punch. The shield cracked but stopped the blow. He created his armored suit construct and smacked Yang into the air before hitting her with a high speed javelin. He destroyed the pillar and wrapped Kurome's strings around his arm and sent electricity through the strings, exploiting her weakness.

Kurome's strings receded as she screamed in pain. Levi ran at her while switching to his sword. Another fighter appeared and blocked his attack. Rio Azul intercepted his blade and swung at him. He flipped around the blade and landed back by his team. Yang was rushing him. He flipped over her raging body and sliced her along the back with the Sword of Damocles. Despite the gash that was now in her back she followed through and hit Lupin with an execution fist, putting a massive crater in the wall.

"One down." Yang said as Lupin coughed blood.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Levi said. Lupin's cannons pointed directly at Yang and vaporized a three square meter area where she stood.

"YANG!" Neptune yelled as he fired his rifle. Feles blocked the attacks and closed the distance between herself and the huntsman.

"I did it!" Lupin gloated. "I killed the bitch!" Levi sighed as Yang checked Lupin across the room, putting him in the opposite wall.

"She may not seem like it but Yang Xiao Long's speed is far greater than yours." Levi said. Yang pumped her fists together. Her energy overflowed and formed the shape of a bird around her. Levi fired several javelins at her. She blasted them all away, but it weakened her enough for Levi to get close and slice her stomach.

"Damn you." She said.

"When will you ever learn?" Levi growled. "This never ends well for you." He brought his sword down to finish her but it was blocked by Rio.

"Are you okay?" Rio asked.

"I'll be fine." Yang spat some blood. Lupin pounced on her and grabbed her by the head.

"Dodge this!" He screamed. A water sprout smacked him in the chest sending him backwards again.

"I was planning on being the second line of defense, but I'm not going to sit idly by and watch some of our best and brightest fall." Tethys Azul said. He fired a water bubble at Levi. The Agentware's blocked it with his sword, but it split in half and sandwiched his head. Rio created a heavy water bubble as well and pummeled him. Levi raced around but the water was going at incredible speeds with pressure great enough to slice through stone.

He called in clones to distract the water attacks while he closed the distance to Tethys. He spun with his blade but the attack was blocked by the headmaster's unconventional weapon. Tethys pushed him back and he landed in Rio's trap. The water wrapped around his foot, keeping him off balance just enough for Tethys to shoot him with a charged up blast. The blast hit him, at the same time Neptune did the same.

Levi flew across the room and rolled on his feet. Kurome had ensnared both his comrades. Yang delivered a punch to his torso. Levi snapped back into his composure to avoid her next volley of strikes. He kicked her knee but then had to jump out of the way of Rio's strike. Raven had vanished but instantly appeared behind him and sliced through part of his armor, a square centimeter piece fell to the floor.

She was winding up for another power strike. He couldn't back out of her considerable range. He moon dismantle was powerful enough to slice through his armor and she was aiming at the most advantageous spot. He could have jumped out of the way but both Rio and Yang were ready to intercept.

So, instead of dodging he lashed out. He surrounded himself in the giant suit and fired energy arrows all around the room. He grabbed Raven with his giant hand and slammed her against a wall. He fired a cannon at Kurome, separating her from Feles and Lupin.

Tethys blasted the floor. Water rose around him and formed a giant torso head and arms. Rio formed water around himself creating a massive Hippocampi that acted like a tentacle arm for Tethys' Poseidon construct.

Rio wrapped around Levi's construct. Levi created a massive sword that sliced through the water. True to his reputation, fighting Tethys Azul was like fighting the ocean. Even a skull-round would be useless because he's just use the water to redirect the bullet.

Levi created an arrow big enough to where he wouldn't be able to dodge. He fired it through the water construct. Tethys blocked it with his weapon. The giant constructs grabbed themselves and wrestled against the wall.

"Moon dismantle!" Raven called. She sliced through Levi's construct and took a slice out of his helmet. A small gash ran blood down his face. As the construct dropped, Yang blasted him with an execution strike, destroying his helmet. With the nature of the combo, Levi would have likely been knocked out if not for his suit's upgrades.

He felt his aura kicking in to heal his wounds. He needed to get through. He wasn't expecting Tethys to be strong enough to completely repel his attacks. He wasn't expecting Kurome to keep both his aides preoccupied so well. Lucky for him, the destruction in the room left a lot of shadows.

"What the…?" Tethys grunted. Allister Briggs had initiated his attack. The ceiling blew up and collapsed. Grimm poured down from above, summoned by Cloak and her warp gates. Tethys and Rio turned to intercept the falling Grimm and Chiro, who was leading them. The huntsmen couldn't move their bodies but they could still move their water and they were still bocking Levi's path.

Levi created a trident construct and hurled it at them. It connected but was blocked. Levi exploded outward with his semblance to get through the water without touching it. In his current state, even though he was good on aura, it would be easy for either one of them to drown him.

He blasted through the water, shielding himself with his semblance. There was only a little bit of water left separating Levi from Tethys himself. Just as Levi was about to blast through, the water turned to ice and stopped him. Raven had used an ice dust blast to stop his progress. But in doing so, she assured him victory. His skull-round tore through the ice and Tethys' stomach. The water dropped and the construct started to dissipate as Tethys fell backwards.

Rio wrapped his water around Levi's other hand. Instead of disappearing, the Poseidon construct instead formed around the younger Azul. Levi thrust his leg out to kick Tethys in the face and finish him, but his boot was stopped by a wall of sand.

"Sand?" Levi said. It wrapped around his ankle and threw him into a pillar. It then bombarded him and tried drowning him in dirt. Before he could break free, Yang had jumped in the air, the sand cleared for an instant just as Yang delivered a blow to his chest. The pillar shattered. Levi landed on his hands and knees. Standing in the same doorway he had came from were three more huntsmen.

"Sorry we're late." Suna said. "I see you all started without me." At his sides were Sun and Blake.

"I see our little distraction wasn't enough." Levi chuckled. "Headmaster Suna Gull. I see you brought the runaway and stowaway with you."

"Where's my daughter you creep?" Sun said.

"How the hell should I know?" Levi spat blood.

"She was last seen on Merlot's island." Blake said. "Your base!"

"It wasn't one of my men that grabbed her. Maybe she ran away. It would certainly...run...in the family." He taunted. "Not like you were doing her any favors anyway."

"Shut up!" Blake ran at him. She was limping. Just like Dagger said, her leg would never recover. By this point it was nearly useless stone.

"Wait!" Suna said. Levi fired a giant arrow at her. In her prime she would have easily dodged it. He could of made one that she would have had trouble with, even in her prime, but he was testing something. Sure enough Suna had to save her by blocking the arrow with his sand. The headmaster then pulled her out of the way of Feles strike.

"Traitor!" Feles cursed. "The White Fang will have its revenge for the injustice you dealt it Blake Belladonna!" Levi continued to chuckle.

"Damn it, where are these Grimm and shadows coming from?" Tethys fumed, he, Raven and Rio were still stuck in Briggs' semblance. Kurome was fighting Chiro and Neptune was fighting Lupin.

"Suna Gull, they say your sand is a perfect defense." Levi said. "Let's see how well it stacks up to mine." Suna created a massive sand golem and Levi created his giant suit construct. Levi easily pushed back Suna's first attack and fired giant arrows at the new arrivals. Suna blocked them with a raised sand shield. He swung a giant sword that was stopped by the sand but split the room in half. Levi fired three arrows at once, forcing the headmaster to block his view.

When the sand fell, Levi was gone. An instant later, he reached up and grabbed Suna's ankles. He popped out of the ground, pulling Suna off his legs. The headmaster broke his fall with sand but that's exactly what Levi wanted. He created a giant spinning drill and fired it into Suna. The sand blocked it but it quickly tunneled through his defences. The ground shook and broke apart as Levi's attack connected with Suna's aura.

He used the kickback from his attack to launch him towards the door. Blake tried intercepting him. That was a big mistake. The light of the Argentware surrounded him. He directly targeted Blake's instincts to run. She squeezed her eyes shut. As a Faunas and an Arbiter with a lot of exposure to Redstone, she was much more susceptible to the blinding light than anyone else in the room. And Levi took advantage of that. He could have killed her but he didn't. That would be too quick and only put more focus on him. His plan was to get past these people. So he shot her in her good leg.

"Blake!" Sun ran after him. He caught Blake before she fell and sent clones after him.

"I can do that too." Levi intercepted Sun's clones with his own. All the clones canceled each other out. "But I can still move with mine." That didn't seem to matter. Neptune grabbed ahold of Sun and the two warped to the other side of the room getting in his way again.

"Got'cha you son of a bitch." Neptune said. Levi swung with his sword, slicing into Sun's chest. Even though he was a Faunas, and weak to the silvery blade, his aura and spirit was strong enough to repel the damage as little more than a cat scratch. But the next attack wasn't so easily blocked. The skull-round tore through both men's abbs. They tried to dodge but Levi had caught their feet in a trap construct.

"When will they ever learn?" Levi growled as he walked all over the huntsmen. Suna tried blocking his path again. Levi spun in a circle, destroying all the pillars. The ceiling started to crumble.

With the incapacitated nature of the huntsmen, Suna had an easy choice. He had to call his sand forth to protect all his allies. That wasn't exactly how Levi wanted to get through. It was likely the Figura siblings would not make it through the collapse and if they did they would be captured. But they were only pawns, means to an end.

He charged through the room and into the hallway. The only one left in his way was Tethys, who was still stuck in Briggs' trap. Levi jumped on the headmaster, forcing him to the ground. He fired a skull-round through his chest. Unless they had someone who was a master healer on par with Isabella he would surely die. But with it not being an instant death there would be somme that would stay by his side holding out on hope.

He understood that. Hope that a hero would arrive. That is what Ruby promised them. That is the world Ruby created. Even Levi was forced to admit that her hope was meaningful to the world. And now, he would use that hope against them. With this move, he had weaponized Ruby's ideology and used it against her. If only she was here to see it.

He ran down the halls unopposed. He tried using his stealth field but the damage he received made it blink in and out. On one of the blinks where it worked, he reached the room. He jumped onto the ceiling. Six people: Penny, Winter, Ebony, Oscar and two children, Prim and Citrine. In the middle of the room was the cowering form of Flask. Maybe they'd get more than they bargained for anyway.

"Look out!" Citrine pulled Oscar away from his attack.

"Oscar, take the kids and get out of here." Winter said. "We'll handle the rest." Oscar and the Rose sisters ducked out of the room. Levi tried chasing them only to be blocked by ten swords from Penny.

"Out of my way." Levi used a taser to hit Penny's swords. The jolt made her flinch and jerk back. Then the wall was covered in ice, blocking him again. Levi moved to blast through it. Ebony snapped her fingers. Levi felt every exposed pressure point and every joint in his armor collapse in at once. Knives hit him from all sides and hit feet were taken out from under him.

"Time freeze." Ebony gloated. Levi spat blood as he look up at Winter.

"I may not have a personal grudge against you but a lot of people want you dead." She said. "So, I'm obliged to end this." Glyphs appeared all around the room. Levi acted faster than they could rip him apart. He hit their general direction as hard as he could with his strongest attack from his strongest construct. In the chaos he slipped through a hole in the wall and back into the hallway. He tried running. He was fast enough to keep pace with Ruby Rose, albeit a couple lengths behind. But the special power of the Winter Maiden was much more terrifying.

In a blink Ebony had caught up, threw him across the hall, blasted him and blocked his path. To do all that she would need to stop time for around ten seconds of relative time. Not that it did Levi any good. Even if he could completely predict what she was going to do in those ten seconds and prepared, she was also a highly trained huntress and could easily adapt. And in ten seconds, she could close any distance in this hallway.

"You're not going any further Vile." Ebony said. Winter stepped out of the hole. Penny followed her.

"It looks as though you've had it rough with my colleagues." Winter said. Her air of superiority frustrated him. "But even at full strength these odds do not favor you."

"We'll see about that Schnee." Levi grunted. A mist started to form around him. He couldn't help but grin. Just as they had planned. Just as it had always been. Briggs and Isabella had his back. He felt his wounds heal and his aura return. Not enough for a full recovery but enough to fire another massive drill at Winter. Ebony got in the way, blocking it with her magic.

"I could have used a repulse glyph." Winter said.

"I stopped time to see if that were true Ms. Winter." Ebony said as she struggled against the projectile. "There's a reason why he's not using this opportunity to move. He infused a dust glyph meant to pierce through any repulse glyph. Even with time stop I barely had time to orchestrate the glyph necessary to counter it."

"Well if he can't attack, I will." Penny said as she fired a massive laser. Levi swung his blade and cut the energy beam in half. The chaos and destruction once again granted him the chance to move past them. This time it was Winter who blocked his path and clashed swords with him. The two exchanged blows. Levi wasn't in a good position. Penny and Ebony thwarted his attack and were now at his back. But as he looked in the council room he had an idea.

"Shadow of the Flask." He said. The monster shivered with fright. "I am an Argentware. Aid me...and I will see to it you never have to fear my kind ever again. Gone will be the days when you are a prisoner fearing the day the Rose family decides to do away with you."

"It won't be that easy." Winter said as she continued to clash blades with him. Even if his words didn't work, it was enough for Ebony to hold off any attacks and keep an eye on him. That's all Levi needed.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Levi created his giant suit construct to counter the giant image of the Grimoire named Weep she summoned to her side.

"It doesn't matter." She said firmly. "You're finished." A cage of glyphs appeared around him. "You didn't think I spent the time you fought my colleagues twiddling my thumbs did you?"

The glyphs crushed him. It would have pulverized him if not for another factor. One Levi always had going for him and one Winter should have been more cautious to look out for. Cloak warped him out of the destructive cage just in time. She warped him just a few feet away. Just as Winter registered what happened, Flask struck. A bony white tendril struck her arm, slicing it from her body.

"Ms. Winter!" Ebony screamed. She unleashed a devastating ice attack on the creature. Flask took a large amount of damage before Cloak grabbed him.

"Levi run!" Cloak said. "I'll handle things from here." She grinned. Winter put up a healing glyph, and sealed the wound. Ebony grabbed her discarded arm and cryogenically froze it. Thus, rendering the amputation a temporary annoyance.

"Careful of the Maiden's time freeze." Levi warned.

"I know." The impish woman said. Levi turned tail and ran. He heard the sounds of a hundred Grimm pour from Cloak's cape and the heart cries of battle as the huntresses battled them. Levi could feel his partner's healing stardust infect his body, rejuvenating him and giving him enough fight. He would have used his skull-rounds but he opted to save them for the battle ahead.

 **AN: Probably not how you guys wanted this battle to go down. A lot of blood but not a lot of bodies. So, reminder for those who haven't read RWBYond Vale or don't remember Flask's abilities, Salem basically gave him an attack that can pierce any substance. It actually originates from the same source as skull-rounds and works the same way. Next time: Battle of the Bridge.**


	118. Battle of the Bridge

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: That last battle was pretty intense. Well, here we go with a continuation of everything going down on Vytal. And this is a true meeting I know I've been looking forward to, even if you haven't.**

Chapter 118: Battle of the Bridge

Topaz had made it out with Oscar and the other students. They ran out of the back door and started making their way around to the airship that was hidden in the woods. On that pathway, they came upon a bridge over a river. Oscar stopped them there.

"Prim, Glade and Chénzi, stay on the other side of the bridge." Oscar said. "Team CTEN, and Nickel, stay between me and them."

"Why? What's happening? Why are we stopping?" Eiess asked.

"He's coming." Oscar said ominously. "Topaz, with the river here we have the advantage."

"But my Aunt Winter and Ms. Ebony?" Eiess put a hand to her mouth.

"I doubt he'd have the ability to kill them in his current state." Oscar eased the tension. "But his goal wasn't to fight, it was to collect the Relic around my neck. He's smart and slippery. He probably slipped past them within minutes."

"Can we beat him?" Citrine asked.

"That depends entirely on how much fight he has left in him after blasting his way through my colleagues."

"Then let us fight too." Prim said.

"No." Oscar said. "He's far beyond your level. Even on his last legs, you wouldn't even be able to see him move."

"Then how come Nickel gets to fight?" Prim asked.

"Nickel is an android." Oscar answered. "She's already strong and fast enough to keep up with average huntsmen and her combat programming can prove advantageous against our opponent."

"I see." Nickel sighed. "It's because I'm a weapon."

"No, it's because you're awesome." Prim said.

"Citrine, I'd hate to do this to you, but other than me you may be his highest priority. I need you to flank his right every chance you get."

"What about us?" Topaz said.

"You focus on your water constructs. Fight him at range. Don't get close. The Sword of Damocles is a terrifying weapon. And as someone who has made contact with Avarice...you may be especially susceptible to its effects."

"We could test to see if that's the case." Prim said as she clutched her own sword.

"No need for that." Oscar said. "Best to air on the side of caution. Eiess, use your glyphs to aid Citrine." Oscar thought a minute. "Nickel, use your cloaking semblance to stand on the opposite side of the bridge." Nickel nodded and disappeared. "Our opponent is an Argentware, someone who has gone toe to toe with the best this world has to offer."

The trees shook and birds of prey flocked to the air. Levi leaped from the tree tops and landed with a roll on top of the bridge. His armored suit was scratched and dented pretty bad and his helmet was gone. Small trails of blood were caked to his face. His eyes, cold and silver bore down the path of the bridge. Topaz felt her body sweat, despite the frigid temperatures of the season. Citrine audibly swallowed. Prim gasped, her right hand clutched her chest and her left hand covered her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Glade asked.

"I can hear them screaming." She whispered. Levi's eyes scanned the area.

"So, this is where you've chosen your final resting place?" He said.

"Awfully confident of you Seerlivey." Oscar said.

"This river was formed in the Battle of Vytal over a hundred years ago." He said.

"I know...I have the memories of it." Oscar said.

"So...the old man really is in that head of yours." Levi scoffed. "Avarice was telling the truth."

"Avarice may be a monster, but he's not one to lie."

"Unless it's his identity he's lying about. Speaking of which, Topaz Azul, you'll be the third Azul to cross my path today." He pointed the shimmering Sword of Damocles at her. "I know you're responsible for the unprecedented level of security. All those expendable guards to die at my hand...their blood is on your hands just as much for consorting with the Grimm of Greed."

"Liar." Topaz gasped even though she knew it was true. She was the one who warned her father and grandfather.

"Take comfort knowing that if you die here, you won't be the first." Levi scowled. Topaz's heart jumped into her throat. "You brought all those guards, but unless you brought a master medic...Tethys Azul is dead."

"No." Topaz started to shake.

"He's trying to get in our heads." Citrine said.

"I just thought I'd let her know." Levi said. "Citrine Rose, it's been much too long. I haven't seen you since I held you as a baby."

"You mean since you kidnapped me?" She shouted.

"All a matter of perspective." Levi chuckled. "And I see your sister is wielding your father's sword. I'd look forward to ripping it from her hands but I have business with the Sorcerer's Apprentice over here."

"This is the end of the line for you Levi." Oscar's green aura became visible around his body. "Time takes all things and today it'll take you."

"We'll see about that." Levi ran forward and Oscar intercepted him. Levi's blade clashed with Oscar's cane. The headmaster's body pulsated with green aura as his speed slowly increased. Levi jumped back and surrounded himself with a skeletal demon construct. The construct fired a spinning arrow at Oscar. He put up a forcefield to block it.

"Topaz, he's not moving." Citrine said. Topaz nodded and took the chance to swing heavy water at Levi. She called the river to her side and wrapped it around Levi's construct. Levi's nostrils flared. Oscar suppressed the drill attack but left himself open.

Levi smashed him with the giant construct's hand. He gripped the teacher and hoisted him in the air. His aura pulsated, evaporating Topaz's water. Eiess set up glyphs for Citrine. Topaz called more water to ready another attack.

"You may have the Wizard's mind but you're weak." Levi taunted. "You're no warrior. You're just a teacher."

Citrine launched herself around the glyphs. She shattered to the wind and slammed into Levi's right side. At the same time, Nickel struck him in the back with her sword. He dropped Oscar to the ground. Topaz hit him with everything she had, using a Hippocampi to push him back.

He twisted his body. A clone shot from his body and held Citrine. He kicked Nickel in the head at the same time he stabbed Citrine in the stomach.

"Citrine!" Eiess yelled. A helmasaur shot out of a summoning glyph. Levi unleashed a shotgun kick to Citrine's face. A hammer construct smacked into Nickel. Both of them flew off the bridge. Topaz shot her water out to catch both of them. Levi jumped onto the helmasaur, sliced it in two and shot the water with a blast of electricity.

"Bringing children into a fight they can't possibly comprehend." Levi taunted. "I guess that apple didn't fall far from the tree." He turned to face Oscar again. Eiess pulled Citrine and Nickel in with a glyph.

"They aren't children Levi." Oscar said. "They are no more children than you were when you started your petulant quest for relevance." Levi growled.

"I'm going to start beating you now." Levi said. "But first." He swung his sword back. Silver energy flew off it. It flew like a saw slicing through the stone. Eiess put up a repulse glyph to stop it. The blade beam split apart and turned a dark blue. It sandwiched the children and exploded. As the dust flew up, Levi created a giant arm construct that swatted the students away.

Oscar dashed at him. Levi blasted his way into the air and bombarded the bridge with giant arrows. Oscar dodged all of the attacks. He moved so fast it looked like there was five of him. He batted Levi's protective construct and pushed him back.

"I told you before, time catches up to all men." Oscar said.

"I'm counting on it." Levi's blade met Oscar's cane. There was a flash of light from Levi's eyes. By the time the light faded, Oscar had been blasted to the end of the bridge. His body was covered in cuts and bruises that were struggling to heal. Levi had switched to his guns.

"Damn that weapon of yours." Oscar said.

"I know all about your semblance Oscar Pine." Levi said. Part of his black hair had grayed. "You displace time around you but it has a very small range. Every strike ages me several months. But the range of these strikes is only as great as the reach of your weapon." Levi summoned five arrows at once. "All I have to do is stay my distance."

The arrows fired and Levi fired his guns. Oscar acted faster than the eye could see. He pushed all the bullets safely away and knocked all the arrows off their trajectory. But he was so busy with that, that he didn't see the glyph construct Levi had created at his back. He grabbed Oscar by the throat. A skull-round went through his abdomen. His aura dissipated. Levi pulled the relic from his neck.

"Professor Pine!" Topaz coughed.

"You were right about one thing." Levi said. "In my condition I wouldn't have been able to beat you. But you're not the only one with friends in your corner. You get off lucky. That was my last skull-round. So, I'll spare your life. But I'm taking this."

Topaz wanted, needed to jump in there but she couldn't. A heavy weight fell on her chest, keeping her from moving. It all happened so fast that she had barely had enough time to get up from his blast back attack. Now she couldn't move at all. She looked to Citrine, who was in the same position. The only one that was moving was Prim.

"LEVI!" She screamed as she cleared the distance between them.

"Prim!" Glade shouted.

Corcea Mors met the Sword of Damocles. Light blasted from the blades followed by a gust of razor sharp wind. The two warriors stood face to face. Despite Levi barring down on her, Prim held her ground.

"What are you?" Levi growled.

"Hiyyyyahh!" Prim's semblance formed a dome around her that knocked Levi back. The dome then formed two giant fists that started pummeling him. He blocked the blows with a shield but that swiftly broke along with his aura. Prim hit him ten times after that. Before Levi could recompose himself Prim sliced his face with her sword.

"Damn it!" Levi said. He delivered a left hook to Prim's face, knocking her back across the bridge. Prim fired a cannon blast at him but someone jumped in and pulled him out of the way. "Isabella?"

"Cloak get us out of here!" The woman screamed into a radio.

"Don't let them get away." Oscar said. But it was too late. Cloak appeared behind them, and then was gone. Topaz felt the weight lifted.

"I'm so sorry." Citrine said.

"Don't be." Oscar said. "He was right. I'm no warrior. I don't know anything about fighting people. And this environment was not conducive to anyone but Topaz and myself. And after he touched the Relic, he used it against you to keep you back. Only Prim remained unaffected."

"Why is that?" Citrine asked. "What's going on? What was that glyph?"

"It was always a risk." Oscar said. "I could never imagine Levi would get so strong that he'd use glyphs in conjunction with his semblance. That glyph in particular canceled out my connection to the Wizard's power for a fraction of a second, long enough to get his hands on the Relic."

"So we lost?" Citrine said.

"I'm afraid so." Oscar said. "And until we get back to the facility there's no telling just how much we lost."

 **AN: This is probably a low point for the series. I think this is the first full on success the villains have ever had in any of my stories. Sure, villains have won battles, but they were always part of a greater scheme. Especially with Salem who tended to let the huntsmen win every once in awhile. Next Time: Meanwhile with Nova.**


	119. Janus the Two Headed God

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: Writing this chapter after a 4th of July BBQ, because that's what you do. This chapter has been a long time coming and one that I'm sure will surprise all of you.**

Chapter 119: Janus the Two Headed God

Nova touched down in the snowy treeline of Vytal. Cinder was in front of her and Jet was behind her. Cinder turned to her with a mischievous smile on her face. Nova looked at her senior with determination. Johnny would be here in a matter of minutes. Cinder's hand was in the midst of being played.

"You need to go." Nova said.

"Whatever for?" Cinder asked.

"Johnny's not dumb." Nova said. "If he sees you're here he'll get help and make this more of a mess than needs be."

"He won't know I'm here." Cinder assured.

"Yes he will." Nova said. "Not even Emerald's illusions can hide from his semblance." Cinder looked at Jet, who then shrugged.

"Very well, I'll go away. But Jet here will follow you. Just act like you didn't know you were being followed. Capiche?"

"Yeah, whatever." Jet sighed.

He jumped up into the trees. Cinder strutted off, leaving Nova apparently alone in the clearing. She picked up the sound of a small bullhead approaching. The ship came up from over the hill and touched down in front of her. Johnny was the first to step out of the ship, followed by Nephrite and Ariadne.

"Nova?" Johnny called. Nova marched over to him. "Come on, let's go home." He reached to hug her but she pushed him away.

"I can't." Nova said.

"What're you talking about?" Johnny said.

"Do you trust me?" Nova asked. Johnny's eyes darted to the treeline.

"Yes."

"Well, the only reason why I contacted you was because I trust you." Nova said as she dug in her bag. "I can't go with you, not yet."

"What're you talking about?" Ariadne said. "We've been worried sick about you and now you're pushing us away."

"I'm not!" Nova raised her voice. "I'm not...it's just I still have work to be done."

"Is this about the relics?" Johnny guessed.

"In a way." Nova said. "But that's only part of what I've been doing."

"And what is it you've been doing?" Nephrite asked.

"I...I can't say." Nova said. She saw Scott get out of the airship, he must've been the one piloting it.

"You said you trust us." Johnny grabbed her arms. She resisted every impulse to blast him. "We came all this way to get you and we're not leaving until you tell us what this is all about."

"I know where Cipher's base is." Nova said.

"How did you find out?" Nephrite asked.

"Just stop asking questions." Nova took the package out of her bag and pushed it into Johnny's chest. "Just take this and go."

"Not without you." Johnny said as he examined the package. It contained a detail map to Cipher's headquarters and the routes to take.

"Just go." Nova whispered. Johnny leaned in.

"No." He whispered. "It's not safe here. There's two enemies nearby."

"Two?" Nova shuttered.

"One of them is that doll that killed, LOOK OUT!"

The explosion took out the airship, knocking everyone into the freezing snow. A shadowy figure lunged from the flames. Johnny spun to his knees and fired his weapon. The assailant jumped over the beam of lift and stabbed down with his sword. Johnny rolled around to dodge the stab. He rolled onto his feet and kicked the assailant in the shoulder. The rest of the team scrambled onto their feet, and surrounded Dagger.

"I was over here to make sure the Relic did not escape." Dagger pointed his sword at Johnny. "But now instead I get to kill the last of the Lightbringers, and the Summer Maiden."

"Dagger!" Nephrite howled. She lunged at his head. He stepped out of the way and swung for her neck. She slid along the ground to dodge then vaulted up to fire her guns. Dagger spun his sword around to block the bullets and kicked her in the stomach.

Nova stomped her foot on the ground. The dirt and stone beneath the snow shot outward towards Dagger. He jumped over it and flung a blade beam at her. She blocked it with her own swords. She prepared an acid ball. Then, Dagger landed next to Scott. Dagger touched scott's weapon as it finished unfurling.

"Wait!" Nova tried to warn. Scott pulled the trigger and his entire weapon exploded and scorched his arm.

"Scott!" Ariadne shouted as Scott was blasted back. She played a staccato note on her flute. The snow gathered around her and formed numerous spikes. She hurled them at Dagger but they were all sliced away.

He ran towards Ariadne, extending his blade at her. Nova jumped in his way and sent a searing flame in his direction. With a powerful strike, he blew the flames away. Nova used that wind to fuel more fires. Then she was forced to quench them and play defense.

Dagger swung wildly at her. She used all three of her weapons to counter his attacks but his attacks seemed endless. Each of the dozens of studs on his suit were weapons in their own right. Each time a stud extended and connected with her, she felt a bit of her aura deplete. The studs on his back formed a cage that protected his blindside from Nephrite's gunfire.

Nephrite lunged at him with a kick. He ducked down and spun around. All his studs shot forward at once. Nephrite was blasted back. Nova pulsated with her magic, melting the studs. But that made it worse. He manipulated the liquid metal to wrap around her limbs. She was pulled apart and left wide open. His aura gathered on his primary blade and sliced through her stomach.

"Nova!" Nephrite cried. For a second, Nova could feel her guts spilling out. She felt her aura take a nosedive. She felt herself die. Then she blinked and was fine, save for her aura which did take a massive hit. Without missing a beat, Dagger slammed her to the ground and stomped on her throat. His blade came cascading towards her face but then he was tackled by Johnny and thrown forward.

"Leave. Her. Alone." Johnny threatened. Dagger shot forward and laid into Johnny with a barrage attack. True to form, Johnny kept pace and moved in the exact perfect way to dodge them. He deflected the sword strike with his light and fired it point blank into Dagger's chest, sending him flying.

"Nova?" Nephrite muttered.

"Nova, get up, you're fine." Johnny said. Nova blinked and picked herself up. "His blade is like Corcea Mors and the Sword of Damocles. It'll slice through you rather than bounce off your aura but the damage heals in a matter of seconds."

"It takes a bit longer for those exposed to Redstone." Dagger added. "That includes any Faunas, a species of humanity born from Grimm essence and Redstone experimentation."

"The purer the sword the better." Johnny responded. "Blades like that are meant for one purpose and one purpose only, killing monsters. And I can see you've abused that sword's abilities entirely too much."

"Still plenty enough to cut your head off!" Dagger charged in. Johnny ducked under the blade only to be pelted with studs. "You may have the eyes of a god but even you can't dodge an attack you don't see coming." Johnny had nowhere to go as Dagger kicked him in the face.

Nova jumped back in. This time superheated with the power of the Summer Maiden. The studs melted again but this time Nova drew his attention away from her with her clones. Nephrite slid behind him and punched through the liquid metal with her weapons. Dagger fell to the ground and into Nova's attack.

"Melt!" She commanded, hitting Dagger in the face, point blank, with a searing ball of acid. Ariadne played another note on her flute to create a gust of wind that kept Nova's melting energy directed at Dagger. The assailant swung at her and she caught his sword.

"You can't melt this sword Summer Maiden." He growled. His face mask fell off revealing that, he was actually pretty normal looking. Well, at least it was before Nova nailed him with a spat of acid. Dagger spun around and took a chunk of her forearm with him. The wound quickly healed, just as Johnny said it would.

Johnny landed a kick to his head and pushed him back. Nova caught her breath as her arm healed. She couldn't keep this up. That was two otherwise severe wounds her aura was having to work double time to heal. And if she was caught by that blade with her aura down, she'd suffer the same humiliating circumstance her mom was in.

Johnny continued to keep pace with the swordsman. Nephrite rushed in again only to be swatted to the side by his blade. Dagger shot every stud out at once, forcing Johnny to jump back to dodge. Before his feet touched the ground, Dagger extended his blade to stab him in the chest and push him far away. He retracted his sword and kicked Nephrite's feet out from under her.

"Kuso!" Nova shouted as she radiated with flames. Dagger stabbed Nephrite in the stomach and twisted the sword. Nova blasted into him. Her strikes were hot and heavy. She pushed him, just as she had pushed Lithium before him. She cursed the situation. She cursed that her friends were hurt because she brought them out there. And she cursed Jet who was still faffing about in the trees somewhere.

"You made the same mistake your mom made." Dagger said as he sliced through her magical flames. His blade grinded against her chest, draining her aura from her. He moved to swing again but Johnny stepped in his way, pushing Nova to the ground.

Johnny's chest split open as he fell to the ground. Nova was sure he'd be fine. He still had plenty of aura left, right? The tell-tale glow of aura healing wounds wasn't there. Instead, red sparks poured from his wound, sewing his skin back together.

"Johnny?" Nova said. Johnny's body was lifted back onto its feet.

"Impossible." Dagger hissed.

"Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag." Johnny smirked.

"You're…" Nova was at a loss for words.

"One of us?" Dagger said.

"Not exactly Dagger Kane." Johnny smirked. "If you were to have minded your makers instead of murdering them all you'd already know. I'm the Last of the Lightbringers. You were made by the Lightbringers. Do the math."

"So, they didn't keep their regenerative powers to themselves." Dagger scowled.

"Yeah, sort of takes away the whole chivalrous sacrifice thing I was going for." Johnny said as he reached out for Nova's hand.

"So, we're both hard to kill." Dagger said. "This changes nothing. It only prolongs the inevitable."

"You're absolutely right." A soothingly venomous voice echoed through the clearing. Dagger's body went rigid in what Nova could only guess was fear. "I have no doubt that these children are more than capable enough to beat you." Cinder said. "But beating you isn't enough. If I really want to remove you from the board you'd have to be completely, irreparably destroyed. Well, lucky for us...I'm something of a God of Destruction." Cinder smiled cruelly. Jet was standing by her side. A massive lightning dragon formed around her, ready to strike. "Now kiddies, step aside. The first three rows are a splash zone."

 **AN: ….Yeah...things aren't looking...hot for Dagger. I had a hard time pacing that ending. I wanted Cinder to come at the end but I also wanted to end on the reveal that Johnny has some regeneration bs too. Not to mention I'm sure realistically Team JANS would have won out against Dagger so long as no one else showed up.**


	120. God of Destruction

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: After over 50 chapters of making you guys hate Dagger, I'm going to make you feel a little bit sorry for him. Not by making him sympathetic but just by playing up Cinder's sadism streak.**

Chapter 120: God of Destruction

After all this time, Nephrite was finally staring down the man who murdered her father. They had the advantage. They had Johnny. They had Nova. They had him struggling. Then, they had another bit of help from an unlikely source. And this woman had stepped in the way to face Dagger, despite Johnny, Nova and Nephrite all being perfectly capable of continuing the fight. Nephrite felt a twinge of anger and jealousy that the one who claimed to be able to seal Dagger's fate, was the one and only living person who had caused the world more misery than Cipher.

Dagger sidestepped but was still caught in Cinder's lightning blast. He tumbled across the ground and was hit by a searing pillar of flame. A cruel smile covered Cinder's face as Dagger screamed in pain. With a mighty slash he blew the flames away and rushed at the Fall Maiden.

Cinder's eyes glowed a fiery orange. He extended his sword to stab her. She caught the blade between her fingers. Fire and lightning shot from the small scratch that the blade left and cooked Dagger again.

"Take this!" He extended all his studs to skewer her. All the blades jammed into her body but didn't pierce her aura. The only blade that could even break the surface was safely in her hands. He tried to manipulate it, to make it spiky to stab her hand. But she smiled through the pain as and orange pilar engulfed Dagger. Cinder's body erupted in an orange sphere of pure destructive energy, obliterating all of his weapons.

"Rats like you always cling to the breast of whatever soul gives you purpose." Cinder taunted. The discarded shrapnel gathered around her and started sparking. "Your destruction will send a message to the one you serve. I am as far above you as you are from the lowlife who cleans the bathrooms in a dive bar."

"You think you're a god?" Dagger said while on his knees with his skin blackened by her flames. "You'll regret the day you tried to play god."

"Compared to you I may as well be a god." Cinder laughed as she held out her fingers. "But I prefer Her Royal Majesty or Lady Fall or simply Queen." She snapped her fingers and another fireball hurled towards him. He blocked it, dodged the next one and flung a blade beam at her. She swatted the blade beam away and rose two fingers to the air. Part of the ground came up and trapped Dagger's leg.

"I'll never call you queen!" Dagger said as he sliced the rock away. The rock exploded, knocking him to the ground.

"Keep watch Nova, this is the kind of power you too are capable of." Cinder snapped her fingers and all the blades that had surrounded her bombarded Dagger with the kind of spectacular array of light and fire to pass for a celebration. Cinder laughed through the whole thing.

"I see what she means." Johnny muttered. "This kind of power...all maidens have it but...I've never seen it with so little restraint."

"I'd feel bad for the guy if he wasn't such a monster." Ariadne said.

"It doesn't help that Cinder's every bit the monster he is." Nephrite scowled.

"You might not call me Queen but you're certainly bowing to me." Cinder smirked.

"Cloak...get me out of here." Dagger huffed all the blades were sticking out of his body. The wounds were sparking with red electricity, trying to heal.. A beat passed. Cinder started laughing again, this time she held her stomach as she bellowed.

"And herein lies my reasoning." Cinder scoffed. "You're hard to kill. I have no doubt that Nova and the others would beat you but that's not enough. To really make this fight worth it, I have to destroy every molecule of your body."

"What did you do?" He choked. Cinder closed the distance between them in an instant. Her right hand glowed with orange flame as she slammed it into Dagger's chest, leaving a scorching indent in his body. Dagger fell to the ground again.

"I've been subtly covering you in Redstone, Redstone that I've linked with my own mind. Cloak can't hear your cries of anguish nor can she see your suffering. So long as you're within ten meters of me, you can't escape...and I can play with you however long I want."

"You bitch." Dagger hissed. Cinder took a deep breath.

"That fowl mouth of yours would get you in a lot of trouble...if you weren't as good as dead." Cinder flaunted. Dagger tried making a run for it. Cinder called in another lightning dragon and blasted his leg off. He screamed in pain as he crawled along the ground. His leg was slowly regenerating.

"This is hard to watch." Nephrite admitted. Even if it was the same man who killed her father, this wasn't right. Cinder had no reason to care. She was doing this out of a sick enjoyment.

"Let's see what your threshold is." Cinder said as she lit him up again. Dagger controlled his studs to form a shield but it shattered on impact from the blast. "Your semblance changes the form of metal but it governed by equivalent exchange. The mass doesn't change."

Dagger extended his sword again. Pure lightning gathered in Cinder's hand. She caught the blade. Ice shot from her feet and surrounded Dagger. Fire covered the hand that held the sword while her other hand sparked with white lightning forming a sword.

"The Relic of Destruction." Johnny muttered with a twinge of anger.

"Funny thing about these swords." Cinder said. "It's actually a misnomer that they are unbreakable. True, it requires powers far beyond Maiden Magic to do the job...but that's if the blade is pure which this is not. It's become corrupted, and you've overextended it. Add to that, I am Fall and wield the Relic of Destruction and…" She smashed the swords to pieces. The ice around Dagger super heated and exploded. Lightning fell from the sky, tearing the assailant apart. "Well...I think the results speak for themselves."

Dagger laid on the ground. His flesh was scorched and ripped apart. Muscle tissue as burnt as the ground around him covered him head to toe. His clothes had melted, and the studs that had been jammed in his skin were still glowing orange.

"You killed him." Nephrite said. Dagger shot up only to be engulfed in flames again. This time both Cinder and Nova hit him with flames. Cinder stuck her hand into the fire and grabbed his throat.

"Nephrite, would you like to do the honors?" Cinder said in a sickening voice that sent a chill down her spine. "I know he killed your father but...take a bit of his sword and hit him in his core and he'll never, ever come back."

"You think trapping me in a Blade of Abraham is enough?" Dagger choked out. "How did that work for Lord Avis!" Cinder lit him on fire again.

Nova handed Nephrite a broken piece of the sword. Using her aura sense, she could tell it was different than it was just a few minutes earlier. The souls trapped inside were set free. She located Dagger's core and jammed the sword through it.

"This is for my father." Nephrite said coldly.

"Revenge is a sweet dish." Cinder said. "Now to make sure there's nothing left to ever put that soul of yours in." Dagger's body flashed orange and started to turn to dust. Cinder started to walk away. "Come…" She said. She looked Johnny and Nova over. "On second thought...go ahead. Who am I to interrupt such a happy reunion. Catch you later Nova my dear. You too Lightbringer." She opened a Black Gate and stepped through. Jet followed suit.

"Nice watching the fireworks with you." Jet said with a wink.

"What did she mean by all that?" Ariadne asked.

"I think I have a good idea." Johnny said. "You've got a lot of explaining to do."

"Not to you I don't." Nova brushed him off.

"Well, with our ship wrecked and Scott hurt...we should probably see if the battle is clear." Nephrite sighed.

"Agreed." Johnny said as he helped Scott up.

"I can walk." Scott said. "I just didn't want to interrupt any moments you and Nova might have." Nova knocked him on the top of the head and marched forward. Johnny and Scott followed her.

"Hey." Ariadne poked Nephrite's shoulder. "You going to be alright?"

"I think so." Nephrite said. "This...just wasn't as satisfying as I would have thought. And just proves what I felt before."

 **AN: So, Dagger is dead. Very dead. If I had to describe just how dead he was, the word would be Cadaverific. Dagger done got Pyrrha-d. And, like anytime I do vengeance in my stories, it's purposely a little hollow and unsatisfying. Next Time: Reunion, but for real this time.**


	121. Those Who Bring the Light

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: Ten more chapters left. It really doesn't feel like it. Maybe it's because I'm already tossing around ideas for the next installment or maybe it's because there's been quite the development for me in the form of a writing opportunity (more on that at a later date).**

Chapter 121: Those Who Bring the Light

Eiess sat with her hands on her knees and her mouth agape, taking it everything that had happened. Twelve people had died, including Headmaster Tethys Azul. Topaz was crying across the room while her father desperately tried comforting her. Citrine and Prim were up, walking around, trying to get a grasp on just how much was lost in the attack.

Eiess, and indeed many others were floored. Even with preparation, even knowing ahead of time that the attack was coming, Levi and his team and steamrolled over most of the most powerful huntsmen in the world and escaped with both the Relic of Free Will and that Flask creature.

"Hey…" Yang said as she took a seat next to Eiess. "You're aunt...she's going to be all right." She said.

"Thank God." Eiess let out her held breath. She knew in every logic part of her mind that even if her aunt's loss was permanent, it would be easily replaced with a bionic arm. But losing anything was a scary thought for Eiess.

"Your aunt is one tough customer." Yang said. "When I lost my arm I went into a months' long depression. It wasn't until I realized just how much danger my sister was in, that I finally got off my ass and got back in the fight."

"I just can't help but feel like Nephrite was right." Eiess said.

"How so?" Yang asked.

"If we didn't come...Professor Pine would have been forced to bring more experienced huntsmen."

"Well...it's no use thinking on what could have been." Yang leaned back. At that moment Neptune walked by and took a seat on her other side.

"I take it Winter and Ebony are doing fine." He guessed. Yang nodded her head. Neptune took a deep breath. "Why the long face?" Neptune asked Eiess.

"Just...I hate this." Eiess answered. "I hate failing like this."

"You didn't fail, at least not more than we all did." Neptune said.

"Trust me, no one short of Ruby can go toe-to-toe with Levi." Yang said. "She's going to hate that she went on vacation." She sighed. "Plus, he was way faster and stronger than the last time we fought."

"You're kidding me!" Neptune's jaw dropped. "After how he tore all of you up...no wonder we just got our...no wonder he beat us."

"Last time I fought him he could only use that giant, armored suit construct thing sparingly and as a last resort."

"We have new arrivals!" A guard called.

"Already?" Neptune said.

Eiess looked at the entrance. The attention of the crowd was drawn to the doorway. Down the hall came Team JANS and Nephrite. Scott was holding his arm. Nephrite looked sad. Johnny looked angry and Nova looked lost.

"Nova?" Yang called. Citrine turned her head and started walking over to them. Eiess followed after her.

"Nephrite, Johnny?" Citrine said.

"What're you guys doing here?" Eiess said. Nova swallowed.

"I know where Cipher is." Nova said as she held out an envelope. Yang snatched it up and looked through it.

"How...how did you get this information?" Yang asked.

"It's not important." Nova muttered.

"I think it might be very important." Yang countered.

"I told you it's not important. Just...give that information to Oscar or your mom or whatever!" Nova pushed her away. Yang was unsatisfied with the response but left promptly.

"Your parents are here by the way." Yang said. "I'm sure they'll love to see you." Yang left the room. A medic came and grabbed Scott.

"My arm is just banged up." Scott tried sounding all tough.

"Don't listen to him." Ariadne said. "He had an arm mounted cannon blow up on him."

"Your arm is fractured." The medic said. "Come with me." She grabbed him and dragged him off. Ariadne followed him.

"What about you Nephrite?" Citrine said with her arms crossed. "How do you figure into all this?"

"Nova contacted me." Johnny said. "I invited Nephrite. It was supposed to be a quick exchange."

"Until you refused to leave without me." Nova's nostrils flared.

"I'm not leaving you until you explain just where the hell you've been." Johnny said.

"Yeah, Nova, we were worried sick about you." Eiess said.

"I can take care of myself!" Nova shouted. "People saying they were worried sick about me need to back off! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need any of you to tell me what to do."

"Adults don't just leave their friends without saying a word." Citrine scorned.

"Oh yeah, tell that to my mom." Nova countered.

"You know what Nova, I'm getting real tired of your attitude." Citrine said. "Yeah, we get it, your mom is a real piece of work. Boo hoo. But acting like a bratty teenager isn't helping!"

"Like you are?" Nova got in Citrine's face.

"We want to help you." Citrine said.

"I don't need your help. I was doing perfectly fine without you."

"Nova, we just want to know where you've been." Johnny said.

"Yeah, why are you being so defensive?" Eiess asked.

"This isn't a game Nova!" Citrine stepped forward. "People are dead!"

"And how is any of that my fault?" Nova shouted.

"We're not saying that…" Eiess tried to argue.

"I'm the only one who's been productive since Merlot got canned." Nova argued.

"Why are you acting so defensive?" Citrine got in her face.

"You need to back...off!" Nova growled.

"You're not invincible. You're not in charge. You're not the boss of me. And you're not just going to disappear without a word, come back weeks later with valuable information and try acting like nothing happened."

"I said back off!" Nova punched Citrine in the face. Citrine rolled back to her feet and scattered into Nova. Citrine put Nova in a choke hold. Nova's eyes erupted in violet and Citrine's erupted in silver.

Before it can get out of hand, Johnny grabbed Nova, Nephrite grabbed Citrine, and Eiess got in between them. Nova kicked her legs up and knocked Citrine and Nephrite over. She tried muscling her way through Johnny but cooler heads prevailed as he and Eiess kept her back.

"You need to calm down." Johnny said.

"And you need to stop acting like you know what's best for me." Nova shrugged him off and started walking off. "The fact you don't already know where I was means that Mrs. Ruby trusted me more than you." She said.

"Liar!" Citrine dashed towards her but Johnny got in her way.

"Citrine, you need to cool off too." He held her arms. He sat her down and explained everything that happened from his perspective. Eiess was elated to find out that if nothing else, that creep Dagger Kane was toast. Citrine also shared her perspective on what had transpired.

"So, Cinder Fall is aiding us." Citrine sighed.

"I know it's hard to believe." Johnny said. Citrine responded with a shrug.

"I guess." Citrine said. "I grew up with stories of her but the way my mom would tell them made her strangely sympathetic."

"However we heard things aside." Nephrite said. "She's dangerous. I saw her power first hand and...she seemed like some benevolent demon who enjoyed watching her enemy scream in agony."

"Worst yet, I'm positive Nova has been with her. And she has two of the relics." Johnny said.

"You can't be serious." Eiess said.

"I wish I was." Johnny said. "My mentor, Mr. Aldrich, he taught me everything there is to know about the history of the Lightbringers." He grabbed his flashlight. "This weapon, Amon's Rod, was forged by one of their founders thousands of years ago."

"Are we finally getting that elusive Johnny Clay backstory?" Citrine asked.

"I guess." Johnny said. "The Lightbringers as I know them were created by an Argentware named Deborah. Though, their true origin is something of a mystery dating back to the Primordial and those like him...that is the ones that we call the gods of Remnant."

"They created those Guardians, right?" Nephrite said.

"Among other things. They were ingenious. Their modus operandi was to go to uncivilized parts of the world and spread the light of knowledge and civilization and such. They developed a technique to create homunculi and golems using dust and other materials. It was crude but it allowed for docile workers to stay productive without any of the emotions and stuff that lured the Grimm."

"And that's what Cloak and Dagger, and the Guardians are?" Citrine asked.

"Heightened versions of that." Johnny said. "Which is why Cloak and Dagger have souls and semblances. I'm not sure exactly how they were made but they're basically immortal. As a Lightbringer who has mastered many of the techniques, I too have the ability to regenerate my body at a much greater rate than any ordinary human or Faunas."

"Alright, but what does this have to do with Nova?" Eiess asked.

"The Lightbringers partnered with the Maidens to create the Guardians and Temples that protect the Relics. So, I always knew about the Relics and what they can do. I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that Cinder used the Relic of Destruction. And...if she had Nova, she had the Relic of Knowledge. Which would explain how they were able to locate Avis Bran."

"How is that?" Citrine asked.

"I thought the Relic of Knowledge was split." Eiess said. "Sure, half of it was stolen by the Chaos Syndicate during the flood but the other half died with Salem in the SDF Zone."

"Having one half of the Relic allows you to summon the other half, but you need the Summer Maiden to do it. And you need the Summer Maiden to fuse the parts together to their true form."

"So Nova is helping Cinder!" Citrine shot up. She started to stomp away but Johnny grabbed her.

"It's not that simple." Johnny said. "If Mrs. Ruby knew that means it could have been a ploy all along. You said so yourself. Mrs. Ruby and Cinder have a begrudging respect for each other."

"That doesn't matter." Nephrite said.

"I don't know what side Nova thinks she's on but her attitude has been pretty unforgivable." Citrine said.

"I'll talk to her." Johnny said. "We're all in this together. She's my partner. If I can't reach her...I don't know. Mrs. Ruby or Yang or someone else will but I have to try."

"I'm going to clear my head before I put her through a wall or something." Citrine said. "All that talk, and all that crying, all those years seeing her sad and broken over what her mother's done...and she pulls the same crap with us."

"KUSO!" The telltale scream echoed from around the corner. Nova had been listening the whole time.

"Nova!" Johnny walked off to pursue her. Citrine stormed off in the opposite direction.

"I'm going to see how Topaz is holding up." Nephrite backed away.

Eiess was left alone again. Her heart wanted her to go be with Citrine while she blew off steam. But she knew she'd do a lot better if she pursued Nova. It only took a few seconds to find Nova, with her back against the wall and tears staining her cheeks sitting on a pile of molten bricks. Johnny was next to her.

"She's right you know." Nova said in a strained voice. "I just...I wanted to do some good. When I saw Cinder beat Mrs. Ruby I saw a way to get more power so I went willingly. I know Cinder's a bad person...but she believes in me."

"We all believe in you." Johnny said.

"He's right." Eiess said as she took a seat next to Nova.

"I'm sorry." Nova said. "I'm sorry I didn't just come out and say it. I was embarrassed. I was scared you guys wouldn't believe the information if you knew the source."

"It's alright." Johnny said. "I believe you."

"Thanks." Nova wiped the acidic tears from her eyes. "It's frustrating though. Citrine I mean. She knows better."

"She's on edge too." Eiess made the excuse.

"You're all blessed with incredible talent." Nova said. "Or at least, you and Citrine are. Now that I know your backstory Johnny, I apologize for assuming you were some savant. Turns out you're just a tricky little bastard who's done a lot of studying." She laughed.

"Is that all it took to get you to not hate me?" Johnny asked. "I would have done so a lot sooner."

"Well, now I have a completely different reason to hate you." Nova said.

"Well, so long as we're all going to get along again." Eiess stood back up.

"It's going to be a while before I'm not pissed at Citrine." Nova said. "But thank you...you were the last person I expected to come see me...at least before seeing Citrine."

"Well…" Eies didn't want to say Nova needed it more. That was liable to set her off again. "I wanted to get your side of things before I try cooling Citrine down." She started walking off. "We all care about you...a lot...I hope you feel the same. You're not your mother, not even close. Actually, you're a lot like my mom."

"I'll try to take that as a compliment." Nova said as Eiess walked away.

 **AN: Well, that did a lot of stuff. Nova and Citrine having a brief fight, Johnny's backstory, more excruciating ship teasing for you guys and more insight on where Nova is. The final string of conflicts starts next chapter as we climb through Avis Bran's island and tower.**


	122. Ascending the Throne

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: To you, my most recent guest reviewer, I love teasing Starry Eyes. I like it a lot but some of you like it way more than I do. I watched the RTX panel earlier today and lots of cool stuff got announced/confirmed including a release date of October 14th for Volume 5.**

Chapter 122: Ascending to the Throne

Cinder touched down on the massive island. Avis and his cronies had been very busy fortifying their little island fortress. Dead ahead was a massive tower. Behind her, she could see ships sailing in. The huntsmen were coming and they were coming in full force. It was guaranteed that the entire Azul family would be coming to avenge the death of their patriarch. And if they were that close, it would only be a matter of minutes before Ruby came rushing in. But the huntsmen didn't know what kind of defenses the island had. Lucky for them, Cinder was playing nice.

She put a finger to her crown and ripped open a Black Gate. The red and black powder swirled around her and brought her team to the island. Tyrian, Emerald, Jet, Ash and Mercury lined up behind her as she turned to address them.

"I'm never getting used to that." Jet muttered.

"Welcome to our new kingdom." Cinder said confidently.

"Really? Looks a bit preoccupied to me." Mercury noted.

"We'll let the Huntsmen clear it out." Cinder said. "Merc, Em, Jet and Ash, spread out and take down all the defenses that'll be targeting those ships. Tyrian, you're with me."

"How come he gets to go with you?" Ash asked.

"At least one person on this island has abilities that are...troubling for mine." Cinder reasoned. "Avis will move him to counter me. I'm moving Tyrian, our next best fighter to counter him, at least long enough for Ruby to get his attention."

"Got it." Emerald said like the good little bishop she was. Jet followed her in one direction while Ash followed Mercury in the other.

As soon as Cinder stepped over a ridge, black pools that were covering the landscape erupted into Grimm. A beowolf leaped up only to be burned away by Cinder. Tyrian carved a path through the smaller Grimm. None of these Grimm were even close to lasting more than a second against Cinder. They were all just ants beneath her heels.

Meanwhile the rest of her subordinates were attacking drones and Grimm and blowing up the turrets that fired on the huntsmen ships. The ships started firing back, peppering the ground with mortar fire.

Cinder continued to scorch her way down through the island until she came to a pillar. On top of the pillar, Levi stood alongside Cloak. Levi's eyes began to glow with a silver light. Cinder smiled and waved at the Argentware.

"Hello Levi!" She called. Levi's helmet folded up to cover his face while a dark blue construct forming the top half of a giant suit surrounded his body. He fired a giant spinning drill arrow at Cinder. Cinder tried blocking the attack with one hand. It sparked against her aura and dust and pushed her back. She was forced to use both hands to keep it back. It was then that she realized it had anti Maiden glyphs etched into the solid energy.

Cinder cycled in the dust in her dress to counteract the glyph just as she had the first time she encountered this particular glyph. The spinning javelin exploded. At that very moment, Levi touched down in front of her, already mid swing with the Sword of Damocles. Tyrian intercepted the attack, redirecting Levi to barely miss Cinder.

"HA!" Tyrian gave a battle cry as he dove in. Levi deflected the Faunas' first two blows before countering with a sequence of strikes. Tyrian bobbed and weaved and slid around every attack. He leaped in the air and fired his guns but each bullet was knocked away by Levi's sword.

Cinder snapped her fingers to create an explosion. Levi blocked it with a shield construct. He then created his armored knight construct. He wielded a giant energy blade. Cinder smacked it away with a blast of lightning. As she backed away from another explosive strike, she heard a familiar tell-tale echo boom across the sky. Her suspicion was confirmed when Ruby touched down.

"Great, two pests in desperate need of death have come to greet me." Levi scowled.

"It's over Levi." Ruby said. "There's nowhere for you to run." Ruby gave Cinder a nod. Cinder entertained the thought for a moment.

"Tyrian, run along and find yourself that Cloak woman." Cinder said. "Sting her really good for your Queen."

"As you wish Milady." Tyrian bowed out.

"Don't think I don't have a dozen different plans on how to fight the both of you." Levi said.

"Sure." Cinder said. "Sadly, I have an appointment with the big man in charge."

"What?" Ruby said.

"Have fun Argentwares!" Cinder laughed as she blasted towards the sky and flew in the direction of the massive spire, leaving Ruby and Levi to sort things out.

Nevermores and griffons blackened the sky in her path. With a pulse of her aura and a swing of her relic, she cleared the path. She landed inside a dark room. With her crown, she could see the floor, walls and ceiling were covered in dust. She could tell there were layers for any number of glyphs. Such an intricate array would require a code switcher, and without eyes on the code switcher Cinder had no idea what the glyphs were for.

"So, we finally meet Cinder Fall." A condescending voice rose from the shadows.

"A Queen set to conquer a Bishop's land." Cinder retorted.

"I, a Bishop? You doth me well Fall Maiden." Avis said. His red eyes pierced the veil of darkness. He was sitting in the shadows with a leg crossed and hands joined together examining her.

"You have something I desire." Cinder said.

"The Relic?" Avis guessed.

"That would make a lovely addition to my collection." Cinder mused. "But I was thinking more...your throne. It is most unbecoming of you." Cinder took another step forward. Glyphs glowed around her. She felt her magic powers drain from her.

"You champion yourself the perfect Maiden." Avis mused. "A veritable goddess deserving of a most illustrious crown, worthy of all the bodies she had to trample to get here."

"Aren't I?" Cinder tried keeping a facade of arrogance.

"You're a spoiled little brat. You may be powerful but power isn't everything. Not that a student of Salem would understand that. What was it she liked to say? Tis not about overpowering them, tis about taking their power away."

"Something like that." Cinder sneered as she was forced to her knee.

"Yet it is I who hath taken your power away. Without all that magic you're nothing but a scared little girl. No wonder you clung to Salem so vehemently. She must have filled your pretty little head with sweet nothings of grandeur."

"They weren't nothing." Cinder had to hold on a little longer. "I DID become powerful and feared. When they hear the name Avis Bran it is the name of a rapier wasp stinging a goliath. When they hear the name Cinder Fall it is the name of a majestic volcano that has wiped cities off the map."

"With power not your own." Avis wagered. "Any Fall Maiden can do what you can do and any man with a mind more flexible than that of a crude chimp can render you powerless when armed with the right assortment of glyphs."

"I admit that your mind is far above the vulgar masses. You were a mind centuries ahead of your time. But it's been millenia." With a liberal use of her semblance, the power to change the temperature, she managed to morph the glyphs.

"What?" Avis rose his voice. The glyphs morphed into a seal that trapped Avis in a bubble.

"I have read all of your notes. Salem kept very meticulous record of your every idea. I grew up reading those journals and diaries the same way a child reads comic books. But an old bird like you probably doesn't even know what those are." Avis flipped the code switch, changing the bubble into a mirror.

"You've studied well but so have I." Avis said. "I have spent all these months reading on how much humanity has progressed in my absence." A snapped his fingers and a king taijitu surrounded her neck.

"I always took you to have a pet bird."

"This snake is for you. The ambition of the snake sometimes leads it to break its own jaws and die trying to swallow a prey it can't consume. A fitting end for one such as you."

"HA! Don't make me laugh." With a simple touch, she instantly reduced the Grimm to ash. She gathered the ash with a wave of her fingers and created a hellish bat.

"So, the rumors are true. With dust and magic you really can create something resembling life." The fiery bat flew at him. He snapped his fingers to summon a hose and doused it with water. He grabbed the remaining dust and condensed it into a fan.

"It's something Salem and I picked up from the writings of the Lightbringers." Cinder said.

"Ah, the very same beings who made my Cloak and Dagger." He waved the fan to create blades of wind. Cinder easily brushed each blade off.

"Please, even the most foolish men know such trivialities will always be fruitless." Cinder mocked. He snapped his fingers again. A cannon appeared by his side. The code of the glyphs switched and surrounded the cannon. It fired. Cinder put up a repulse glyph. The cannonball started eating away at the dust and aura like a voracious black hole.

"Taking power away. And Salem said that I had nothing to learn from her." Avis mused. Cinder used her semblance and powers again to change the glyphs on the cannonball. It flew backwards and exploded into a lightning cloud over Avis' head. He code switched again to create a lightning rod that dispersed the energy.

"You forget that I was Salem's prize student and her most worthy successor." Cinder said. "I was the only one worthy of her love and graces. She taught me everything she knew. Using her tricks on me is like fighting a tidal wave with a spray bottle."

"Well then, how about something Salem never considered?" Avis challenged. The world began distorting around her. "Salem was only concerned with this world. She only used Oblivion as a means to that end. She did not live there as I did."

The world around her looked very much like the Black Gate but with streaks of silver through the sky. She could feel her fiery soul grow colder in this hellscape. It was much more palpable than any glyph or illusion she had ever witnessed. But she did have a theory. And if the theory checked out, she'd get through this. After all, she had already proven the Relic of Destruction was far greater than a Blade of Abraham.

"Salem also didn't have this." She lashed out with the Relic. White streaks of lightning and energy pulsated from the ethereal blade destroying the landscape and bringing her back to reality. As she destroyed the floor and gathered all the layer of dust that had been laid down, she hovered through the air with a confident smirk.

"Ha! You have merely proven my point." Avis said from his chair. "You have stolen powers. You stole the right to be a Maiden. You stole the Relics you wield. You stole your safety by pitting yourself against a self-righteous warrior and now you seek to steal my peace of mind."

"I seek only the happy ending I rightfully deserve. A worm like you doesn't deserve such peace. You never deserved the second lease on life your servants granted you. I'm putting you back where you belong." She created a spear of dust and hurled it into his body. He blocked it with his dagger. But the tremendous force of Cinder's attack destroyed Aero's dagger, just as it had with Dagger's sword.

"To destroy a Blade of Abraham is no small feat." Avis clapped.

"Yet I alone in the history of Remnant have destroyed two."

"Only thanks to the power of the Relic of Destruction." Avis said. "If you use tricks, so shall I." Flask's tell-tale tendrils shot from the shadows. They wrapped around the air and skewered a stone slab as it pierced the floor. Avis Bran started laughing. Cinder raised her brow until Emerald tapped her on the shoulder. Then, Cinder had the biggest most satisfied grin on her face.

"I pierced her Avis, just as I said I would." Flask said. "But she's not dead. I'm not breaking that vow until Levi Seerlivey is the only Argentware left." Emerald's illusion was convincing. Cinder even threw in some sickly grunts in for good measure.

"A...ah…" She choked out.

"I may love games but this is a matter of life and death Cinder my dear. All's fair in love and war."

"Well...then…" She coughed out. "Good thing I have friends willing to make the kill." She said with glee. The illusion dropped. Avis gasped. Flask shrieked. Emerald swung her sickels into the Grimm's tentacles. Mercury dropped in on top of Flask's body like the master assassin he was. Cinder's hand erupted with power all in the span of a breath as she punched a hole in Avis' stomach.

"Damn...you…" He coughed.

"It's time for the little birdy to go to sleep." Cinder soothed. "And this time there's no coming back." Avis' face was pained but confident. His left hand tried to claw at her face. She could even feel his aura gathering strength into that hand. Then...he flicked the crown off her head. The Relic of Knowledge, the item that had made her immune of Avis' semblance flew off her head.

"Goodbye." He laughed.

"No!" Cinder reached out to get it but Avis snapped his fingers. In an instant, she was in a volcanic pit burning. She yelped in pain as she blasted her way out and tumbled into the fertile soil. She jerked back and used her powers to cool the volcano. She made it just in time to keep Mercury and Emerald from melting in its lava.

"Damn it we were so close!" Emerald said as she brushed the dirt off.

"Avis will probably die from that." Mercury said. "We still have the Relic of Destruction, right?" Cinder summoned it to her hand to make sure. She could at least be happy it wasn't a total loss.

"Ash, Jet and Tyrian are still on the island." Cinder said. "If we're lucky, they'll get to my crown before the huntsmen do."

"And if we're not lucky?" Emerald asked.

"It'd be a bummer." Cinder said. "But remember our main goal, to conquer our slice of heaven. I know the huntsmen won't be interested in such a desolate landscape. So, we'll just move on in when they're done."

"Whatever you say Cinder." Emerald said with a smile.

 **AN: A lot of that was based on the final duel from the 1963 version of The Raven. Really cheesy movie but a lot of fun with a Who's Who of iconic actors, including a twenty-something-year-old Jack Nicholson acting more like the 60s Robin than the 60s Joker.**


	123. Rush

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: These next few chapters are bound to be shorter. There's a lot that's still going down. This chapter and the next are basically the "oh yeah I remember that guy" chapter in that they're showing off pretty much every somewhat major huntsman I've used, even if it's only for a sentence or two to show off their abilities.**

Chapter 123: Rush

Topaz's ship was the third ship to touch down on the island. The first two ships had set up a defensive line. The island was heavily fortified with the only kind of protection a man like Avis needed. The island was littered with pools of Grimm essence. It'd be nearly impossible for anyone to get through the island and to the tower that loomed in the distance. Yet, the huntsmen weren't the first people there. Turrets that had lined the shore were destroyed, not by Grimm but by people...Cinder's people.

"Stay back and protect the ship." August commanded.

"Yes sir!" Citrine said with a reluctant salute.

"We should be the first ones out there." Nova huffed as she crossed her arms.

"You're too valuable of a piece." Oscar said. "We already have two maidens on the battlefield." Topaz looked to the distance and saw Levi's giant mech construct battling a stone golem created by Ruby with her power and the Relic of Creation. The two titans clashed and pushed each other around with blows that shook the ground.

"Yeah, we should definitely stay away from that fight." Natalie said.

"I know you all are eager to fight but remember why you're here." Weiss said. "You earned your right to be here but this is a battle where the world's huntsmen have joined to avenge the countless deaths Cipher has orchestrated. Keep your eyes on the battlefield as more arrive. This is what you have to look forward to."

"But most of the people out there are just grunts." Nova spat. Yang swatted her on the back of her head.

"In chess the pawns go first." Yang said.

"This is Winter's strategy." Oscar said. "The only valuable pieces they have are Cloak and Levi. Sure, there's also Avarice but he's not a fighter. They also have Flask but he's not one to kill outright. And you've all beaten Briggs before."

"There's also that medic." Weiss said.

"Medic?" Yang asked.

"I know all the wounds Levi must've sustained in his battles." Weiss pointed to Ruby and Levi's battle in the distance. Topaz noted how all the Grimm frantically swarmed out of their path. "He shouldn't be able to move after the beating we put on him when we first fought him. Yet, he keeps coming back, stronger and fiercer. The only way that's possible is if they have a master medic in their camp."

"Perhaps my predecessor did make a mistake." Oscar chuckled. "You have quite the eye Mrs. Schnee."

"This analysis isn't my own." Weiss said. "My sister is the same way. Her team back in Atlas had such a person named Dawn. She's currently in charge of our mobile medical facility."

Another ship touched down. The entire Azul family, other than her, rose from the water and batted a titan away. Grimm of the sea started surrounding the fleet of ships. Rio was leading the effort to fight them back. Rocks shot out from the sea and crushed oncoming hordes. August zipped through the air, slicing through a chiropter and several nevermores.

Natalie gave a glance to her daughter. Part of Topaz wanted to join her family and fight at the sea. But, she also wanted to see this through to the end. She wanted to stick with her team. So she gave a nod to her mother and in an instant, her mother teleported to aid her old team.

August dove past Topaz's ship, followed by a flock of Grimm. He was firing behind him to pick off the monsters. Weiss cast a glyph to send hundreds of starbolts at the black cloud. Yang added to the mixture by firing missiles from her gauntlets. The flock dispersed. Weiss cast another glyph as the birds changed direction. She put her foot down and with an unbelievable grace and precision, ice bolts hit each individual monster dead on.

"Wow." Eiess gasped.

"You never cease to amaze me." Blake said.

"Why are you even here?" Nova muttered under her breath. Natalie flashed back onto the ship.

"Until we get those Grimm out of the way, no one else is going to be able to touch down." Natalie said.

"Alright." Topaz stepped forward.

"I'll go." Ariadne stepped up.

"You can both come." Natalie said. "But I was actually hoping for Weiss or Yang."

"Topaz…" Ariadne said. "Stay here with your team. Sure, you may be way more useful there then here but your team needs you."

"Your team needs you too." Topaz argued. Ariadne looked at Scott.

"We already discussed this." Ariadne said. "Even when you all join the battlefield, Scott and I are staying back."

"How come?" Citrine asked.

"Because we're not fighters." Scott said. "We're ranged supporters anyway." Ariadne hopped onto the railing overlooking the battle between Rio and the Grimm. "Besides...this island is desolate and only Grimm live here." Ariadne played a few notes of her flute.

"This is the only way for Ariadne to feel useful." Nova said with a smirk. "We all have a role to play. This is hers." The music picked up. "And you're about to see something amazing."

The water started to bubble. A shadow started rising in the water. Just as a giant leviathan wrapped around Rio's Poseidon construct, a massive and beautiful whale jumped from the water and slammed into it. Topaz jogged over to that part of the ship. Sharks were attacking Grimm en masse.

"You're controlling the creatures of the sea to combat the Grimm." Topaz said.

"I may not be useful to the main battle but I still have to do my best." Ariadne said with great conviction. "I can't afford to do anything else in front of the one I admire most." She started playing again. Sharks swam up the water of the Poseidon construct and shot out of it to latch onto the giant Grimm.

"Your best is all we can ask for." Yang said as she jumped onto the back of a whale. She delivered an uppercut to a mobius

"Damn it we need reinforcements!" An officer said from the barricade. "Brace for impact!" A proteus smashed through the wall. Ebony had tried stopping it but was blasted through the fortification. Two other proteuses joined it. Ebony wiped blood from her mouth.

"Is it my birthday already?" Nova said as she jumped off the ship and onto the island.

"Nova get back here!" Blake called.

"This is payback!" Nova said. Ebony snapped her fingers. She appeared in front of her proteus as it blew apart. The second proteus landed a blow to her stomach. Nova jumped in, covering her body in flames as she blocked one of the massive monster's punches.

"Nova!" Blake reached out.

"Ha! Barely even hurt that time." Nova rushed back in and dodged the monster's punches.

"Nova are you crazy?" Citrine yelled.

"I might be." Nova subbed in a clone to dodge a ground smash. She flew around and landed on the giant's shoulders. "Melt!" She blasted the monster's face with acid. Violet lightning surrounded Nova's body as she darted around and through the monster's stomach.

"Gunmetal kick!" Jet declared as he kicked the remaining proteus in the face. Nova was keeping her distance from her opponent, all the while slowly melting it with her power. Jet landed a series of kicks to knock the third proteus down before it could land another blow on Ebony.

"Jet." Nova grunted as he landed with his back against hers.

"About time you showed up." Jet said. "Last time I fought one of these assholes I didn't have my good legs or access to my aura."

"I would have loved to see that." Nova said.

"Girl like you would have swooned. Bastard didn't even land a scratch on me. But I had to get out of there because those shitty legs the warden gave me weren't doing anything."

"Just shut up and start kicking ass." Nova released a powerful fireball at the Grimm.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Jet said as he vanished. He moved faster than the eye could see as he humiliated the bumbling monster with his speed.

"We need more ammo!" A soldier said. Weiss prepared a massive attack that pushed a horde of beowolves back. Scott jumped down to the ground.

"Now what're you doing?" Topaz yelled. He ran close to a drone that was being gnawed on by a beowolf alpha.

"Steal." He activated his semblance and pulled the weapons of the fallen towards him. "Here." He started passing out weapons. Weiss and Oscar joined him to help fight back the hordes. Eiess used a glyph and some dust to form a rock wall where the hole was. Johnny jumped down and started picking apart some straggling Grimm.

Team CTEN jumped into the fray led by Citrine. Citrine slammed into a beowolf with her shield. Topaz hacked away at the monsters while Nephrite and Eiess pulled the wounded out of the fray. Humanoid Grimm rushed at the team. Nephrite dropped off a soldier before being attacked by one.

"Striders." Weiss said. "Haven't seen these guys since the Grimm War."

"Striders?" Topaz asked.

"Salem's failed attempts at creating artificial Grimoire." Eiess said as one attacked her. Citrine knocked a strider in the face, spun around and flipped it over her shoulder. As the monster landed on its feet, Citrine threw her shield at it to knock it down. A dash and a swing later and the monster was dead.

"Reinforcements are here!" Blake called.

"Aha!" A voice said from atop the new ship. The red haired gentleman jumped down from his perch and landed atop the wall. Only, he seemed to be hovering. He hacked a pair of beowolves to pieces with blindingly fast strikes. He spun around on his levitating ball and fired a pistol at a strider, killing it.

"I know that guy." Nova said. "Scarlet!" She waved. Scarlet waved back.

"Friend of yours?" Johnny asked.

"Father's old teammate." Nova noted. A beam of red energy carved a path through a flock of Nevermores as Neptune joined the fray. Sun dropped down next to him. A beringel jumped towards them. Sun blocked the gorilla's punch with his staff. He batted the Grimm away and bludgeoned it to death. Sage jumped onto a destroyed turret and swung his sword to clear the Grimm out from around it. He then used his semblance to repair the machinery.

"It feels good to be together again." Sun said as Team SSSN gathered back to back. "It's been too long."

"You guys were literally just at my birthday a week ago." Sage said.

"Too long." Neptune sighed.

An airship dropped down and dropped off more huntsmen. Topaz recognized a lot of them. Velvet and Fox rushed into battle. Helios dropped down onto the turret and started using it to bombard the horde. Blades rained from the sky as Penny took center stage. Winter carved a path through the Grimm. Ebony followed behind her, using her power to create defensive barriers to push the Grimm further back. After dropping off its payload the airship started blasting monsters. Topaz got a glance at the pilot and started waving.

"Rubrum!" Topaz hollered.

"Rubrum's piloting the ship?" Weiss said. The ship flew overhead and concentrated fire on a titan. "So, he is."

"I wonder if Nickel came with them." Eiess said.

"Nickel is with my sister and brother." Citrine answered. "Though...it is a weekend."

"If she was here she would have come with us." Johnny said.

"Oh, I guess you're right." Citrine noted.

"We need to seal these Grimm pits." Oscar said as he joined Weiss' side.

"Very well." Weiss said as she looked to Team CTEN. "Team CTEN, Nova and Johnny, come with me." She picked up her scroll. "Yang, any word on our friends from Menagerie?"

"They're here now." Yang answered. "They were helping us back here. I'll send them your way."

"Alright." Weiss said.

"Who's she sending our way?" Eiess asked.

"Friends of her, one of them is...uniquely qualified to help dry up these pools." Weiss answered. A mountain of a man dropped behind her. A smile lined with sharp teeth stretched across his clammy face.

"We were told you need my...abilities." He hissed.

"Come with us Ao." Weiss ordered. "Kurome, do whatever it is you two do when we come to a pit."

"Alright." Kurome said from behind Ao. "I hope your skills are still sharp." Kurome said.

"Sharp as ever." Weiss said.

"I wasn't talking to you." Kurome said. Ao laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Skills all good and all." He said. "But this is a trial of power. And I'm feeling pretty hungry."

 **AN: I've actually been wanting to bring Ao in for a while now. But because he doesn't have much of a connection to any of the main cast he stayed sidelined. There was about four other instances where I nearly used Ao in a battle but ended up waiting until now to bring him back.**


	124. Pools

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: To answer the Guest's questions, there is going to be another RWBYond after this, I'll start writing sometime during Volume 5. Probably at the beginning of the year like I did with this story. The original cast will play an even smaller role than they did here and it'll focus more on Teams CTEN, JANS and PNGC as full-fledged huntsmen.**

Chapter 124: Pools

Citrine led her team through the swarm of Grimm. But the adults were in front of her. Weiss kept up the defense with her daughter, constantly putting up barricades to funnel any Grimm that stood in there way. They funneled them right into Kurome's strings so that she could bind them. Ao was batting clean up, taking out dozens of Grimm with every swing.

"This guy…" Nephrite said. "He's powerful."

"Well, he's a professional." Citrine reasoned.

"It's more than that." Johnny said. "He's got more aura than anyone I've seen." He looked at Nova. "And I've seen all four Maidens in action."

"Aura isn't everything." Ao said. "Though, in my heyday I was pretty powerful. Probably not as powerful as Ruby is...but powerful. Only person I've battled that gave me a run for my money was Rio Azul."

"Hey, I know that guy." Topaz said.

"Yeah, I know all about you." Ao said. He swatted a beringel into the air to uncover the first pool.

"So, this is a Grimm pool." Johnny said. "Never seen one up close."

"Well, stay back kid." Kurome said. "Don't want to fall in. It'd be the same as being swallowed by a Grimm. No amount of aura can survive that."

"I know." Johnny said. "Theoretically I could use Amon's Light to destroy it. But I doubt my life force would survive using it so liberally."

"It wouldn't." Ao said. "I can smell your aura. It's strong but not strong enough to clear more than one pit without passing out." He dipped his massive club into the pool.

"What's he doing?" Nephrite asked.

"He's absorbing all the energy from the pool." Kurome said.

"Just like Argentum." Citrine said.

"Wait, wouldn't absorbing that much Grimm essence kill you?" Eiess asked.

"Only if I try holding it in." Ao said. The pool dried up and Ao raised his weapon into the air. With a single swing, a wave of dark energy cascaded off the club and wiped out hordes of Grimm. "Just like that, one pool down."

Citrine looked to the tower looming over them. Johnny grabbed her shoulder and directed her away. He did the same to Nova. Citrine could feel a palpable energy coming from the tower. She was sure Johnny and nephrite could feel it too. In fact, iff Citrine could feel it, that meant probably everyone could feel it.

"You're not ready to go there yet." Weiss said. The ground shook as more huntsmen poured past the lines. Penny's tell-tale laser shot down a flock of griffons over their head. A flash of Yang's signature aura pulsated as ursas were blasted back. A armored man wielding a mace slammed the ground, splitting it open.

"Carden seems to be doing his part." Kurome said. "Burying the pools won't stop them, but it'll at least slow them down." They arrived at another pool. This time Citrine got a good look at it. As she examined the pool, it started to dry up.

"Citrine, your eyes." Eiess said. Citrine blinked as she realized her power was draining.

"The power of the Argentware." Ao said. "This is why you were allowed to come this far. Your eyes are a weakness to the Grimm collective."

"If my eyes can dry these pools, then why aren't I doing more?"

"You felt the draining of your power, right?" Ao laughed. "You may be both a rose and an arc, but without your mother's magic or your father's unbreaking aura, you're no better off than Johnny."

"You'd only be able to clear one or two pools before passing out." Nephrite said.

"And we need your power for later." Kurome said.

"Avis Bran has Flask." Weiss said. "Flask is a very powerful Grimm whose only weakness is the power of the Argentware."

"So, we ARE going after Avis?" Nova asked.

"We're clearing the path first." Weiss said. Ao cleared that pool while Topaz and Eiess covered him. The pool dried and withered away, revealing a deep chasm. Ao slung all the energy away, clearing another hundred Grimm. He took a deep breath and dropped to his knee.

"Ao?" Kurome said.

"I'm fine." He said. "That pool was just deeper than I suspected." He stood back up. The ground shook again. A manticore dropped onto the wall Weiss erected. Citrine's powers flashed, freezing it in place. Topaz then hacked its head off.

"Look out!" Weiss said as she summoned her knight. The apparition blocked Grimm that were falling from the sky. Hundreds of palm sized nevermores were raining down and evaporating on impact. Up in the sky, Ruby was battling Levi. The Maiden was tossing him around in the sky while he used his semblance to maneuver in the air.

"Kuso." Nova growled. Johnny had a hand on her shoulder. Citrine could tell that every fiber in Nova's body was telling her to fly up there and help.

"You'd only get in the way." Johnny said. Levi created a giant hand and slammed Ruby into the tower.

"I can't just stand here being escorted around." Nova growled.

"You admire Ruby more than anyone." Weiss said. "I know Ruby can do this." Ruby tumbled through the air grabbing rock debris from the impact and throwing it back at Levi. "We just have to have faith."

"I'm not like you." Nova said. "I can't just…"

"I know how you feel." Citrine said. "I want to fight these monsters more than anything."

"This is our fight as much as it's yours." Weiss said. "We failed to end Levi all those years ago and this is what he wrought. Your generation will have it's own hardships and conflicts but this isn't one of them. So, Nova, please, let us clean up this one last mess before you go playing hero."

"You may be willing to rely on other people but I'm not." Nova scowled. Weiss didn't respond to Nova's outburst. Another explosion shook the ground as Ruby swatted Levi away and chased after him. Nova started flying up only to be ripped back to the ground by Kurome's wires.

"Stubborn little brat aren't you?" Kurome grunted as she restrained Nova. Nova only struggled for a second before reserving herself. Another explosion ripped through the air as Yang dropped down in the group, joined by Sun and his team along with another blonde woman.

"Mind if I drop in?" Yang asked.

"Now's not the time for jokes." Weiss said. A ripple of energy pulsed through the air.

"Hey." Kurome said awkwardly.

"Hey." The other blonde woman said.

"Sup Terra." Ao said with glee.

"Just burying as many of these pits as I can." Terra said.

"Good." Ao huffed. "I'm not sure how many more of these I can handle."

"If we can eliminate Avis and his cronies, we can pretty much clear the island at our leisure." Terra said. Citrine gave Weiss a knowing look.

"Fine." Weiss said. "We can handle things from here. You six go up there and stop Avis Bran."

"Really?" Nova said with glee.

"Absolutely not!" Sun said. "I just got here hoping to see my daughter in action…"

"There won't be any action for me so long as you all keep coddling me." Nova cut him off. "I am an adult Dad. Please...let me...let us do this." Sun looked at Weiss.

"Weiss you can't seriously…" Sun muttered.

"I have complete faith that, so long as they make it up there in one piece they can handle Avis Bran." Weiss said. "No Bran has ever beaten an Argentware. Plus, Nova IS the Summer Maiden."

"Maidens aren't invincible." Yang said.

"No, but their biggest weakness is something I'm well adept at countering." Eiess said.

"Yeah." Citrine high fived her partner.

"Arancia trusted me to end this." Topaz said. "We should be the ones to end this."

"It doesn't matter what we want." Johnny said. "This place is intoxicating. And that tower is the epicenter."

"Nephrite?" Topaz said.

"I'll go." Nephrite said. "But only because I know we can beat him."

"Which just leaves the question of how do you get up there?" Neptune said.

"I have an idea." Terra said. "Ao, blast off a chunk of rock from the top of the tower. Large enough for everyone to fit."

"Wait, can't you just use your semblance?" Yang asked.

"It's out of my range." Terra said. "I'd have to throw it pretty hard and I'm not letting the chance of a Grimm intercepting it."

"Then what are you doing?" Kurone asked. Ao blasted a large chunk off the top of the tower. It fell towards the group. Weiss slowed it down enough for Terra to use her semblance and catch it.

"Alright now Sage…" Terra said.

"I get it." Sage said as he cracked his knuckles. The six students loaded up on the boulder. "Hang on tight and make sure you jump before it hits the mark."

"What do you…" Citrine was cut off as Sage used his semblance on the rock. The boulder flew up into the air, right to where it came from. Eiess screamed in surprise as Nova laughed. Everyone else stayed cool under the turbulent force. Johnny used his level two attack to blast any Grimm out of the way. Right as they flew close to an opening, the group jumped off the rock and landed in a room.

"Another happy landing." Topaz said.

"That woman is insane." Eiess said.

"So, is this it?" Citrine asked.

"It looks like a battle already happened here." Nova said.

"No bodies though." Nephrite noted. "In fact, everything seems a little hazy."

"These marks were made with the Relic of Destruction." Johnny said as he examined the ground. "There was also a lot of dust in here but it all ignited.

"Cinder." Nova said. "She must have beaten us here."

"Which means we might actually be fighting her now." Citrine said.

"This was a bad idea." Nephrite swallowed.

"Johnny what do you see?" Citrine asked. In the back of the room, there was a faint red glow.

"I can't see anything in those shadows." Johnny said.

"I didn't think that was possible." Citrine said.

"Neither did I." Johnny said with a frustrated scowl. "Even Redstone just makes things hazy, not…" Johnny's eyes opened wide.

"Invisible?" Citrine guessed.

"Guys…" Topaz's voice shook. She pointed to a corner in the room. "That's Arancia's mask." The bird mask sat on the edge of the shadows. Its eyepiece was broken.

"Hit it with everything you got NOW!" Johnny yelled. He flipped through each ring on his flashlight. "Amon's Light!" The room was engulfed in a radiant light. Citrine activated her Argentware power and started blasting the pulsating red light that Johnny focused on.

"MELT!" Nova commanded as she blasted the area with her power. Topaz slung her heavy water and a series of blade beams. Nephrite focused fire on the target. Eiess launched a helmasaur summon and several dust bolts. They all emptied everything they had at whatever lurked in the shadows. The room filled with smoke and dust.

"Did we get it?" Citrine asked.

"Get down!" Johnny pushed Nova into Citrine, knocking them both down. A shadowy figure darted at the and grabbed Johnny's arm. With a swift strike the figure ripped Johnny's arm out of its socket.

"Johnny!" Citrine cried. Dark red eyes shined from the shadows as tendrils wrapped around Johnny and slammed him into the wall. Johnny screamed in pain as his wound sparked and tried healing.

"Too little too late." Avis' voice echoed in the shadows. The light of the setting sun glinted off his talons. He swung at Citrine. She blocked his strike with her shield only to be knocked back.

"Teme!" Nova screamed as she erupted in violet flame. The shadows receded. Nova blasted holes in the tower trying to suppress Avis. But he knocked them all away. Avis spread his wings and kicked Nova through the wall. He turned to Citrine again. This time Eiess and Nephrite intercepted him, only to be blasted into the wall. Eiess landed on her feet and held her blade defensively against Avis.

"Avis!" Topaz screamed as she bashed him on the head with her sword. "You….you…"

"Ascended the bonds of petty human morality." Avis laughed. "I'm glad you children came to greet me. I could use the practice with these new abilities." In a few swift movements, he knocked Topaz's sword away and grabbed her by the throat. "Such strength...surpassing even the mightiest of humans."

"Let her go." Nephrite hit him in the back with a palm strike.

"Trying to disrupt my aura in pointless." He slammed Topaz to the ground and kicked Nephrite. Citrine activated her powers. He had somehow bonded himself with Avarice and suppressed the Grimoire's will. "Those accursed eyes." Avis flinched. He flew at her and slammed her into a wall. "I'll rip them out first. You're not strong enough to cause me hesitation. But it's better safe than sorry."

"You have some crummy priorities." Nova said. She was hovering outside the hole Avis had made by kicking her. "Care to step outside?"

"Ah, the Summer Maiden." Avis laughed. "You'd be a good warm up. I'll get to you next." He swung at Citrine but his hand was caught by Nova.

"That wasn't a request." Nova said as she squeezed his talon. "It was an order." She twisted her body and kicked him away, forcing him to drop Citrine.

"If you were this fast, why didn't you dodge my first attack?" Avis laughed. "Would have saved your Lightbringer friend his arm."

"He'll be fine." Nova said. "Right Johnny?" Johnny was still pinned to the wall by some kind of red substance.

"You all need to get out of here." Johnny said. "He's bonded with Avarice. He's too powerful."

"For you." Nova said. "To answer your question, Avis, I wasn't that fast when you hit me. I had to lose a little weight." She unwrapped the cloth covering her hands. "And I have a little more weight to lose." She gave a cocky grin as she dropped the weights. The shook the room on impact and in that instant, she pounded Avis in the face and blasted him out of the window.

"Damn it Nova!" Johnny said.

"Johnny." Citrine tried pulling on the restraints.

"Leave me!" He said. "You have to get help. Yang, Raven, Sun, anyone."

"I'm not leaving you." Citrine said.

"Please...you have to save Nova." He said as he squeezed his eyes shut. "I can take this pain. Just please, think of the bigger picture for once."

"Citrine…" Topaz said. "You and Nephrite go. Eiess and I can fight at range. We'll help Nova."

"I'm afraid you aren't helping anyone." A girl's voice echoed. Citrine and the rest looked back as a wormhole appeared. Cloak had joined them. "Master Avis has ascended his own human bonds but he's not invincible. So, I'll do whatever it is I can to help. And taking care of some kids shouldn't be an issue."

 **AN: All the bad things! I reckon the next two or three chapters will be quite a bit shorter than they have been. We have quite the bit of action coming up as this story draws to a close.**


	125. Out of the Shadows

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: Two guest reviewers. To the first one: I enjoy answering questions. I won't get into how well Avis stacks up against prior villains because that's an actual plot point. I will say, he's far weaker than what Salem was at the end of RWBYond Vale. And your second question, Prim and Glade will take much more of a starring role. I even plan on giving Prim a bit of celebrity status. And to the other guest: not this chapter but the next will be a rude awakening for Nova.**

Chapter 125: Out of the Shadows

Topaz wasted no time lunging at Cloak. The impish girl dashed away but was intercepted by Citrine. The two capes twisted and slammed into the ceiling. Eiess launched Nephrite into the air. Nephrit landed a kick to Cloak's stomach, knocking her down.

"You have to get away." Johnny said.

"We can do this." Citrine responded.

"She's a doll, nearly impossible to kill. Even if you're stronger than her in every single-" Cloak cut him off by grabbing his mouth.

"Time for you to go." Cloak hissed. Johnny's aura flared and his weapon activated, blasting Cloak into a wall. Topaz dove in and slashed her across the chest. Topaz lunged to stab her. Cloak backed away but Topaz shifted her weapon into a trident and fired a pulse of aura into the imp's chest. Right where she landed, Eiess had a blast glyph prepared. The explosion knocked Cloak out of the window.

Eiess dove out the window and summoned a griffon as her steed. Topaz followed her out the hole. Citrine and Nephrite jumped out behind her, but their esteemed leader quickly took the lead. Cloak spun in the air and unleashed Grimm from the folds of her cloak. Citrine's eyes flashed, stunning the Grimm long enough for everyone to hack through the Grimm.

Citrine scattered just before she hit the ground. Eiess pulled up on her steed and caught the other two girls. Nephrite started firing her guns but Cloak zipped around, dodging them. As she drew closer, Citrine intercepted her. Citrine knocked Cloak on the head with her shield, then shifted it into a scythe.

"Immobilize her." Citrine ordered. Eiess hit Citrine with a time dilation, giving the orange-clad huntress the momentum to slam Cloak to the ground. Eiess slid her blade along the ground and created a glacier around Cloak, trapping her in a thick sheet of ice.

"Got her." Eiess cheered.

"Topaz, manipulate the ice."

"I can use a bit of fire." Topaz said. Eiess heated up the glacier. Topaz put her hand in the melting water and manipulated it to pour into Cloak's body. As soon as the ice gave Cloak any breathing room, she was gone.

"Damn it." Citrine grunted. "We need to get to reinforcements now. We need to stop her, save Johnny and stop Nova before she gets herself hurt." Cloak reappeared above them and rained down meteors. Eiess superheated the ice, giving Topaz plenty of water to work with. Topaz manipulated the water, and surrounded herself and her team with a hippocampi.

Topaz's construct blocked all the meteors. As soon as the raining rocks stopped she shot the hippocampi towards Cloak. The impish doll dodged the attack but that wasn't Topaz's intention. On one hand, the attack was sure to draw attention from the huntsmen. On the other hand, she and Eiess had done a lot of work on their combos.

"Now." Eiess said. Topaz turned the hippocampi into mist. Eiess hit it with lightning dust to create a powerful storm. As the highest object in the sky there, all the lightning blasted Cloak. As Cloak tumbled to the ground after being blasted, Eiess changed to ice dust again to create a hail of deadly sharp ice spikes that pelted Cloak.

Cloak lifted her hand in defense of the ice spikes. The world distorted around her as the ice spikes started twisting and disappearing. Eiess stopped her assault. Cloak shot forward and fired the ice spikes back at them. Nephrite flung a dust crystal in the air and slammed it to the ground, creating a rock wall. Cloak dashed around the wall and kicked Nephrite into it. Topaz slashed Cloak but was grabbed by the imp.

"I guess you're going first." Cloak hissed. As soon as she made contact, she started pulling Topaz in. Topaz fought against the powerful vacuum sucking her into the wormhole. Her body started to twist and distort. Then, Nephrite hit Cloak in the stomach with a vacuum palm, blasting her through the wall.

"Are you alright?" Nephrite asked.

"Yeah." Topaz huffed. "She can teleport anything anywhere. But, I think she has to make contact to forcefully pull a person in."

"What makes you say that?" Eiess asked.

"The first time my aunt ran into her power." Citrine said. She must have caught on too. "My aunt Yang had Levi dead to rights but he disappeared right from under her. He was willing to leave so you were able to pull him out remotely."

"So, you figured it out...for the most part." Cloak laughed. "With an inanimate object I can pull and push at my leisure." She summoned an apple and took a bite out of it. "But for people I have a limited range if I want to pull them out. I have to have eye contact with them. But that's not enough if the person is resisting."

"Good to know." Citrine said with a grin. Eiess hit her with time dilation. Citrine rocketed and slammed into Cloak, ramming her scythe into the imp. Cloak tried twisting around but was caught in the vacuum left in Citrine's wake. Nephrite followed up with an aura strike.

Cloak backed away and tried warping. But her body convulsed and she was forced to dodge Topaz's next strike the old fashioned away. Cloak tried warping again, only to convulse again as Eiess slaced into her chest with a time-altered moon slice, cutting the imp's arm off.

"What did you do?!" Cloak yelled.

"I disrupted your aura." Nephrite said. "I've been practicing the technique...ever since you and your partner killed my father."

"Condensed aura…" Eiess said with a huff. "Infiltrating your system like a scalpel…"

"No more semblance for a few more minutes." Nephrite got in her combat stance plenty of time to do this." Topaz flung a heavy water ball into Cloak's face. Citrine slammed her to the ground. Nephrite held out her hands. "Lotus Blast!" She called out the name of her father's strongest move. The beam of condensed aura blasted into Cloak's chest. Nephrite was hit with Eiess' time dilation and dashed towards Cloak. "Execution strike." She hit Cloak with a powerful palm strike. Dust flew off her jacket and formed an execution glyph. Cloak's aura shattered and she was torn apart.

"Damn it." Cloak grunted as her body started to repair itself.

"I've had it with you!" Nephrite's body sparked with pink lightning as she plunged her katar through Cloak's core. Cloak's hood flew off her head. Her eyes were squeezed shut. "Look me in the eye when I'm fighting you." She hit Cloak's face with another powerful blast, tearing the imp's skin apart. Nephrite activated the aura bomb, engulfing Cloak in a jade green light. Cloak's eyes were torn open and she was flung back.

"It's not over yet." Topaz said as she prepared another attack. She dashed in and aimed her attack to remove Cloak's head. Cloak's right eye pierced her soul and glowed a silvery light. Topaz froze in place as Cloak grabbed her by the throat and slammed her to the ground.

"You kids are persistent." She jumped back and clutched her face. Her right eye was silver, just like Citrine's. But it was constantly glowing and it didn't look like it could stop. Her face sparked with red electricity as her face repaired itself.

"You're an Argentware?" Citrine asked.

"No." Cloak opened her left eye. It was cold and black with a silver pupil.

"Silver Shot." Eiess said. "It's a dangerous drug that was developed by Salem in a vain attempt at recreating the power of the Argentware."

"You know your history well." Cloak said. "But that's only half the story."

"My mom told me about Silver Shot." Citrine said. "It's a dangerous drug that poisons the mind."

"I thought...with my abilities it would work. That it would help me control this right eye." Cloak's face finished healing and she closed her eyes. Citrine's eyes went wide and her teeth grinded together.

"Where...where did you get that right eye?!" Citrine seethed.

"It was so long ago. All I remember is a violet cloak and a wall of flame." Cloak laughed. "I remember one other thing. They called her untouchable! That didn't stop me from sending her and her love to the moon to die. All I left was their weapons and cloaks."

"I see." Citrine's face darkened. "That was Violet Rose and Julius Season. They were my great-grandparents."

"So, that's who they were. Can't remember a whole lot from back then. Salem had her claws in me back in those days." Cloak laughed maniacally.

"Stop laughing!" Citrine dashed forward and swung her scythe. Cloak blocked the attack. As wind and dust kicked up from the impact, someone else joined in. He swung a claw, slicing Cloak across the face. Citrine gasped and swung at the stranger only to be kicked away.

"Looks like I finally caught up to you." Tyrian laughed as he licked his lips.

"You!" Citrine yelled.

"Pipe down tangerine, I'm not here for you...though...if I have time...those eyes are always a hot commodity." Tyrian giggled.

"Don't touch her." Eiess said defensively.

"I do as my Queen asks." Tyrian said as he crouched down, poised to strike at Cloak. He lunged forward at blinding speed.

"Power is back." Cloak laughed. Tyrian's tail plunged into her chest.

"HA! You're finished." Tyrian laughed.

"I don't think so." Cloak grabbed his tail. Tyrian's body twisted into a wormhole. Topaz readied her sword to help him but Citrine grabbed her wrist.

"Leave him." Citrine said coldly. "Wherever he's going is better than he deserves."

"But Citrine…" Topaz argued.

"HA!" Tyrian kept laughing maniacally. "I did just as you asked my Queen."

"Your Queen is dead Tyrian!" Cloak said. "Lord Avis dumped her into a volcano."

"If you think that'd kill her you're too stupid to have a happy life." Tyrian finished as he disappeared into the wormhole.

"Tyrian Callows…" Cloak muttered. "An assassin stronger than a headmaster. Yet, even he couldn't escape my grasp. So what hope do you have?" Cloak lifted her arm. "Now...where was I? Oh, that's right!" A hundred Grimm shot out of her arm. "What?" Her body convulsed. The veins on her body swelled through her skin. Her face started to flake.

Topaz jumped back and hacked away at the Grimm. Citrine's eyes flared to stun them. Eiess and Nephrite took advantage of the ones Citrine stunned. Their breaths were heavy from all the powerful attacks they had been doing. Citrine was starting to slow too. The Grimm surrounded the girls. Then, a battle cry came from the sky. Nora slammed down on the ground, clearing the remaining Grimm.

"Mom?" Nephrite said in a huff as she dropped to her knees.

"We saw your little signal water dragon thingy." Nora said. "Sorry it took so long." Weiss and Sun dropped down next to her. Topaz looked back at Cloak and saw her wheezing. She was sweating purple.

"What...what did he do to me?" Cloak repeated. "I...I can't move."

"Did your aura attack find a second wind?" Topaz asked Nephrite.

"Know, this isn't mine." Nephrite said.

"Tyrian's poison." Weiss said. "We ran into Jet on the way here. He told us that Cinder concocted a special poison using what she learned during her fight with Dagger."

"So...she's not getting away?" Nora said.

"Knowing Cinder...that's what it does." Weiss answered.

"Excellent." Nora grinned. In a flash, she swung behind Cloak and smashed her in the face. Cloak's skin continued to flake off. He body sparked with red electricity but the repairs were not being made.

"Where's Nova and Johnny?" Sun asked.

"They're still up there." Citrine answered. "Johnny is trapped and Nova is fighting Avis alone."

"What?" Sun said angrily.

"It's not our fault." Citrine defended.

"I'm going after her." Sun said.

He started jumping up the tower, using his clones to boost him up. Nora fired her grenade launcher, point blank, at full power, into Cloak's chest. The explosion only knocked Cloak back a little bit as she huffed her breaths. Nora swung her hammer. Cloak ducked under it and unleashed the grenades back at Nora, blasting her away.

"I can still teleport." Cloak huffed. She started warping but Citrine slammed into her.

"You're not getting away!" Citrine yelled as she hacked Cloak's arm off. Weiss and Eiss fell in behind her, Turning the imp into a veritable pin cushion. Citrine flipped Cloak over and skewered her with her scythe. Citrine's eyes burned white as she slammed Cloak to the ground. Cloak evaporated. Her cloak blew away in the wind and disintegrated.

"She's gone." Topaz said with relief.

"We're almost done with the Grimm pools too." Weiss said. "That only leaves-" At that moment two fighter crashed to the ground. Levi sat on top of Ruby and punched her in the face.

"You. Are. My Goal!" Levi grunted. Ruby pointed her gun up and shot him in the face. He flew back but rolled onto his feet. His armor looked pretty banged up but Ruby looked worse for wear too.

"Stay...back…" Ruby huffed as she unfurled her scythe again.

"By all means...Levi huffed. "Let them watch the Hero's end." His dark blue aura surrounded him. It formed the shape of a skeleton. In the giant skeleton's hands way a giant gun construct. "Death Gun!" He fired a blinding blue light that threatened to wipe all of them held her arms up to defend herself and those closest to her. But she wasn't sure it'd be enough.

 **AN: This story is coming to an end. I feel like Cloak is...more or less the main villain here. That's why she's the one Citrine got to end. Sure, she's just Avis' servant but she's also the architect of his resurrection, the one who bossed Levi around and the only reason Levi survived half the battles he's been through. Next Time: Nova vs Avis.**


	126. Sun and Moon

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: Five more chapters left. Anything involving the future of characters and why I took the story in the direction I did will be explained by the end of the story so be patient. Just a few more days and everything will (hopefully) be clear.**

Chapter 126: Sun and Moon

Nova always tended to be relentless in a fight. It made her a good sparring partner for Citrine. Anyone wanting to improve their defensive capabilities would do well to train with her. But those who were calm, and cool, people like Johnny, those were the worst opponents for her. Avis was someone like that but unlike Johnny, he was arrogant. He thought that new Grimoire body would save him but he was wrong and Nova was determined to prove it.

Part of her mind was cautious. All the way up here, she couldn't count on any of her friends. She knew just how tricky Cloak must be if she had all Dagger's powers plus the ability to teleport anything. So, until Nova grounded Avis or someone managed to reach them, Nova was on her own.

She thought Avis was supposed to be smart. He had barely attacked her and hadn't used his semblance yet which proved he was testing her ability to give and his ability to take damage.

So, Nova was giving it everything she had. She had never moved so fast and freely in her life. She hacked, punched and kicked his body with every bit of ferocity and fuel she had. Avis stayed airborne with the aid of massive wings that had sprouted from his back. Nova created a cascade of wind and lightning, using her heat to create a storm. She'd never be able to get perfect weather control but every little bit helped.

"Cinder has taught you well." Avis held out his hand. "You are strong...I'll give you that. But alas...not so…" Nova stopped him by dashing forward and slamming into his hand.

"I've had enough of your disappearing acts." Nova's fist ignited as she focused a punch to his hand, melting the talon. She followed up with a kick to his head that sent him reeling.

"So, this is the pinnacle of my creation." Avis grinned. "I created you Faunas out of curiosity...just to see if I could bind human DNA with Grimm essence. Logically you became the superior species. It's no wonder humans feared you. Rightfully so."

"Hell if I know anything about that." She rushed forward, landing an elbow to his stomach and followed up with a massive right hook. He flew backwards and flung a barrage of spikes at her. She twisted around and gathered acid in her hand. With a command and a flame, she melted all the spikes before they got to her.

"You're pretty fast child!" Avis snuck in behind her, shrouded by the flames and swatted her down. She fired her gun up at him but the bullets bounced off his hide. She avoided a stab from his talons and wrapped her grappling hook around his wing. She pulled tight to twist both of their bodies.

"Valiant smash!" She pounded his chest as she copied Verdant's signature move. Her body erupted in flame as she turned herself and Avis into a meteor and slammed his down on the top of the tower. She rolled back onto her feet and spun to meet Avis as he picked himself up.

"In sheer physicality the Grimm truly are the superior lifeforms." Avis laughed. His body had a small wound on his face and one on his chest but they were quickly regenerating.

"Kuso." Nova growled. It made sense that he'd have some kind of regenerative power. Afterall, Cloak and Dagger did call him master. Nova grabbed her right wrist and concentrated acid and electricity to her fingertips. She had a good estimate of his reaction time and knew that she'd need three clones in order to create an adequate distraction. She created these clones and focused her attention on making them as detailed as possible.

"You're only causing more strain on your powers." Avis grinned.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." She rushed at him with two of her clones.

"Ha! Trying to feel me out now that you know you can't just overpower me?" Nova remained silent, save for a growl as she approached. He swatted the first clone to the side and knocked the second in the air. She jabbed her fingers towards his face and he caught her by the wrist.

"Got'cha." She said with a smile. The electricity left her body and coursed through his. She followed up the stun with a left hook, which he caught. She twisted her body and kicked him on the head. He threw her to the ground, just as he planned.

"If you're real…" The third clone hit its mark. It exploded into an acidic mist, melting one of his wings. Nova slammed her hands to the ground to manipulate the stone. The top of the tower blasted apart, each piece of rubble was a pressure sensitive acidic bomb.

"Checkmate." Nova said as she hurled the rocks towards him. He only had time to snap two away. The rest formed an explosive dome around him, igniting the arena in acidic gases. Nova dashed through the gas and ignited her swords. Avis was kneeling there, gasping for breath. As soon as she got close, tendrils whipped out of his wrists.

"My turn." He laughed.

"What?" Nova was thrashed around the plateau by the tendrils.

"You really are a remarkable creature Nova Wukong." He laughed. "And an excellent plaything and meter stick of my abilities. But it's not just my abilities." He wrapped a tendril around her neck to choke her. "And it's not just Avarice. The one called Flask has also added his power to mine."

"Kuso." Nova choked. She ignited her entire body in flames, using her acidic sweat as fuel. She hacked the tendril off from around her neck and tried planting an aura bomb onto it. As the tendril receded, she ignited the bomb but it was a dud.

"Seems you have yet to harness that technique." Avis scorned. Nova retaliated by stabbing him in the eye. He jerked back and slapped her in the face. He dug the talons of his other hand into her opposite cheek and slapped her to the ground. He put a boot to her throat and used Flask's tendrils to restrain her. She gathered but saliva and spat acid into his face. He grunted in frustration again. This time, a white tendril whipped from his wrist and cut her right hand off.

Her eyes went wide. Her magic receded so her aura could focus on the wound. He picked her up and punched her in the gut, knocking her across the plateau. She slammed violently to the ground. She used the last bit of aura she could muster to cauterize the wound. Her breathing became heavy and labored as her vision darkened. Through sheer anger and will she maintained consciousness.

"Kono kuso wa itai." A hot tear spilled out of her eye as she tried not blacking out.

"Still conscious?" Avis applauded. "Consider your next thoughts carefully." He menaced. "It will have a drastic effect on the life of whoever you think of. That is, the next Summer Maiden."

She tried standing but couldn't. Her legs felt fine but the part of her body they were supposed to support was in shambles. The white tendril slithered towards her. It lunged at her like a snake. Then, a Black Gate intercepted it. A figure stepped out and closed the gate, severing the white tendril as it closed. Raven had saved her.

"Nova!" A familiar voice echoed.

"Nova!" Another voice joined. Sun and Johnny rushed to her side. "Nova, oh my God!" Sun covered his mouth.

"Dad?" Nova choked out. Sun grabbed her and held her close.

"The prodigal daughter returns." Avis said.

"You know…" Raven held up a red crown, the Relic of Knowledge. "You REALLY shouldn't let such powerful artifacts lying around.

"Well I didn't exactly have time to heal the hole Cinder put in my chest before SOMEONE so rudely invaded my island."

"This island shouldn't exist." Raven retorted.

"Really?" Avis said sarcastically. "Well excuse me, I didn't realize you made the rules of reality. Seek what you desire. Isn't that the core tenet of the Arbiters? I was content sitting in my little laboratory, minding my own business until Ozpin, Avarice and Salem got a little too greedy for my good."

"So you dump an island here, costing thousands of people their lives."

"And how many hundreds of thousands of people perished in any single conflict between Ozpin and Salem for much less noble causes."

"The world doesn't operate the same way Avis Bran. The Wizard and Witch are dead."

"Well, someone better tell that to Cinder and that Oscar fellow."

"Salem and Ozpin were defined by their strife, their past, how they came to be and how it led to a mutual hatred. Oscar and Cinder have no such quarrel. Even so, Ruby Rose is the ideal we all follow now. And it's your people that want to destroy that."

"Don't wrap me in with the Seerlivey." Avis pinched the bridge of his nose. "He does as he please. I merely want to pay him back for all the work he put in helping me with my resurrection."

"A resurrection you planned from the beginning."

"If you really want to take it up with someone take it up with Cloak. She's the one who made my return possible."

"She's getting what she deserves." Raven drew her silver blade. "And so shall you!" Raven ran forward and sliced into Avis. Avis had nothing to defend himself with and Raven was a ferocious fighter. His nature made him weak against Raven's silver sword. She carved him up, hitting each strike perfectly. But then, just as she was about to cut off his head, she stopped.

"Ha!" Avis said.

"What?" Nova's jaw dropped. Avis took the silver blade from her hand.

"Amon's…" Johnny prepared his attack but Avis quickly snapped his fingers, sending him away.

"Troublesome little Lightbringer." Avis groaned as Johnny's light bounced on the ground.

"Johnny?" Nova cried. Sun stood up to fight.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Avis said. "You know just how weak people like you are against people like me with weapons like this." He held the blade to Raven's throat. Nova tried summoning magic but she was still in too much pain.

"Raven snap out of it!" Sun yelled.

"Tsk tsk my clever and troublesome descendent." Avis said as he removed the crown from Raven's head and put it on his own. "You truly have a keen mind worthy of our mutual master." He plunged the sword through her chest. "But your heart is heavy. You thought your mind could protect you against the power of the Relic of Freewill. But you were wrong."

"Raven!" Nova shouted. She grabbed Johnny's flashlight and tried using it but it wouldn't turn on. "Work, work you damn thing. KUSO!"

"A mother you lost at such a young age." Avis said as he put a hand on Raven's head. "The father that manipulated, abused and experimented on you. The team you divided, the daughter you left, the best friend you led into the jaws of death." He twisted the blade. "The monster you served, the monster you became, burying all your emotions and ties and doubts under the mask of Nevermore. Then everything changed. For a minute there you had hope. Then it was gone. The father of your child slain while you did nothing. The virus that spread under your watch. The games you played the lives you ruined. Then...the last shred of your humanity perished and there was nothing you could do about it."

"Shut up." Sun released a wave of clones. Avis took them all out in a single swing.

"And now the team that made you feel human...the team you alone are left to remember...dies with you."

"No!" Sun rushed in headlong but was too late. Avis twisted the sword, killing Raven. Sun smashed him in the head with his staff. Then his movements became labored.

"Shame this Remic only works on one heart at a time." Avis mused. "Your heart is so much stronger though. Fighting me when I hold this relic is no different than you fighting me without this relic, but with you wearing those weights your daughter wears."

"I've fought creatures like you before you monster!" Sun gave a battle cry.

"Then you'd know you're only delaying the inevitable!" Avis tripped him with a tendril and smashed him to the ground. He drove the sword towards Sun's face.

"Daddy!" Nova cried. Her left hand straightened. For a second she felt someone grab her wrist and when she felt that, a beam of light poured out of Johnny's weapon. The beam engulfed the tower. Sun rolled away. When the light faded, Avis looked scorched. But then he flew forward and batted Sun to the side. He slammed into Nova and snapped his fingers.

"Well done." Avis complimented. "It takes a powerful heart to use a weapon of the Lightbringers."

"Kuso!" Nova cried. The room was dark, but her Faunas vision allowed her to see.

"It'll take a long time for your Lightbringer friend to find this room." Avis slammed her into the ground and kept her restrained. "It looks like we're right in time." A seeing stone started to glow showing what was going on outside. Ruby was standing between Levi and Team CTEN. "The death of the Hero."

"Death Gun!" Levi declared as his construct fired a radiant beam.

 **AN: Things went pretty bad there. So, now Avis really does have half the relics. Raven is dead, Nova's been disarmed, Johnny is somewhere (I may do another "should've been there" gag when he comes back), Sun is hurt everything's a mess and now Levi is trying to just destroy everyone that stands in his way. Speaking of which, Next Time: Levi's Death Gun.**


	127. Death Gun

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: Counting down the days until this story ends. This is one of those chapters that was one thing but as I got close to writing it, it became something else entirely in my mind. This was also inevitable. There really was only one way this would end.**

Chapter 127: Death Gun

The light of Levi's attack blinded Nephrite and everyone else. She braced for impact, trying to minimize the damage. She didn't feel any pain, just the shockwave of the attack. When the light faded, Nephrite found that Topaz, Eiess, Weiss and Ruby had combined their abilities to stop the blast. But Ruby's breathing was labored. She dropped her scythe as she stared Levi down.

"It was always going to end like this." Levi growled.

"Mom?" Citrine cried.

"Stay back." Ruby repeated.

"How long did you think you could keep this up?" Levi stepped forward. Weiss stepped in between the two Argentware.

"Weiss, get out of the way." Ruby commanded.

"I won't just sit back and watch you kill yourself." Weiss said. "When will you get it through your head that you can't fight him alone. I'm ending this now!" She prepared an attack.

"I HAVE to win!" Ruby yelled.

"You've got nothing to prove." Weiss said.

"I have EVERYthing to prove!" Ruby shot back as she shoved Weiss out of the way. "I have to prove that he's wrong. I have to prove that everything I've done wasn't for nothing. I have to prove that heroes are worth looking up to. I have to prove it for his sake."

"Stop mocking me!" He punched her in the face. She grabbed him by the head and punched him back. "What did your world ever do for me?"

"That was the old world Levi." Ruby whipped blood from her mouth. "I wanted to make a better one and I did."

"By putting yourself at the top? What happens when you fall? What happens when you die? What then huh?! Twenty years later and you still can't answer me!"

"That's why I have to win here." She punched him in the face and he retaliated with a punch of his own.

"All your talent!" He cracked her rib. "All your magic!" A punch knocked one of her teeth out. "All your speed!" He kicked her in the knee and threw her to the ground. "And you're still barely better than me!" He grabbed her by the collar. She headbutted him and kicked him off her.

"That's because you're strong too." Ruby lazily picked herself up.

"And you think that power changes anything. You think yourself so righteous and so powerful that you can fix anything but you can't."

"I never said I can!" Ruby countered but Levi punched her in the face again and they both fell into the dirt.

"You...and people like you inspire so much." Levi picked himself up. "And you're too blinded by your own desire to always do good that you don't see the effect it has." He pointed to Citrine. "These children have followed your example to the letter. Every risk, every mission, every life or death fight, they've jumped in because of You!"

"That's what happens when you become a role model, a paragon of virtue." Ruby laughed as she picked herself up. "Weiss, Blake, Yang, Jaune, they all knew me before I was strong. They know my limitations more than I do. Sure, they look up to me and I've inspired them but they know just how human I am."

"And I'm going to show the rest that limitation too." Levi growled.

"It's different with these kids. They see me as more than human. They see me like this fairy tale hero who can do no wrong. But that's what happens when you change the world. You think I need to be perfect to be idolized? Well, you don't. When you inspire others, when that is the power you wield, history will forget everything else."

"Don't use his words against me!" Levi punctuated every syllable with punches to Ruby's chest and face but Ruby stood strong. She retaliated with a seismic palm strike in his face that tore his helmet apart.

"Abraham first told me that." Ruby spat out blood. "But you're the one who first taught me that. You're the one who taught me that I can't be perfect. That I can't concern myself with holding up the ideals of a huntress. You're the one who taught me just how precious my family...our family is. And the fact you knew those were Abraham's words means you've seen him too."

Levi dashed at Ruby. Ruby pulled the Relic of Creation out of its container strapped to her back and bludgeoned him with it. Levi's aura broke as he hit the ground. With one last bit of energy, he blasted Ruby in the chest and her aura broke as well. Ruby fell over on top of Levi and the two joined hands as she tried holding him down.

"Ruby you won." Weiss said. "Now let me end this so we can carry on."

"This isn't over yet." Ruby said through gritted teeth. "I'm not stopping this until I prove that I'm right!"

"That'll never happen." Levi growled as he threw her off of him. Weiss bound him with a glyph.

"Weiss, back off!" Ruby said.

"You're acting like a child again Ruby." Weiss scolded. "He's too dangerous to be left alive and too stubborn to buy into your idealism."

"I told you I have to do this."

"There's no saving him!"

"I'm not doing it for him!" Ruby shouted. A silence fell over the battlefield. "I have to be right. Not about everything. But I have to be right about this." She looked longingly at Team CTEN. "Otherwise what point is there in any of this?"

"There is no point." Levi answered. "No matter how idyllic the world gets it always goes back to the established order."

"You're wrong." Ruby said.

"Am I? Have you ever wondered what a world without you...a world where say...you died at my hand twenty years ago would be like?"

"You don't know that."

"I've seen it! Not with you but people like you! You think you're the first! Hell you aren't even the hundredth. Every time someone rises alone to be the paragon of virtue…"

"I'm not alone!" Ruby interrupted.

"You may as well be!" Levi countered. "If you weren't...my head would currently be mounted on Weiss' blade."

"You're certainly tempting." Weiss scowled.

"Everytime someone like you rises, their goodness, their impact dies with them. Maybe it'll last a generation. Maybe even a thousand years from now you'll still be considered a legend. Maybe you'll be remembered as the paragon of virtue. But the world won't be the one you led it'll be right back at square one. The cycle will continue. History will repeat. THAT is the Truth, the answer to the question nobody thought to ask. That. Is. Cipher!"

"Then what is the point?" Ruby asked.

"Don't you get it, there is no point. There's no point in caring. No point in worrying about legacy or impact. All you can do is whatever makes you feel good. That's why I can respect your drive as much as you idealism offends me."

"That's selfishness." Ruby said.

"Surprised you know the meaning of the word." Levi mocked. "You're the girl who'd kill yourself for a perfect stranger if it meant doing the right thing."

"Why are you so opposed to doing the right thing?" Ruby asked. "Why are you so offended by Abraham's words?"

"Your family ruined mine!" Levi shouted. "The Rose family was always considered the best. Othniel was Abraham's oldest and favorite son. Othniel was married to Spring, the original Spring. Their daughter, Rose, was the first to lead Remnant into an idyllic utopia in a world without the Grimoire. A world where the Wizard and Witch had little to no power or influence."

"How did this ruin your family?" Nephrite rose her voice to ask.

"Gideon, the second son of Abraham and Deborah, his oldest daughter WARNED Rose and her father on the dangers of complacency."

"I understand that." Ruby said. "That's why I...we are striving to not get complacent."

"Your very presence makes them complacent!" Levi countered. "Gideon and Deborah were ostracized. Deborah founded the ancient city of Puerto Nuevo in Menagerie while Gideon went into exile in Solitas. A generation later Gideon and Deborah were proven right. The Grimm resurged and Rose was killed. It was Deborah's descendent who became the Guardian of Remnant and kept the world from total ruin."

"She was better prepared for it." Weiss said. "Had so much history not been lost I'm sure she too would have gone down in history just as Rose did."

"But Gideon...his family was blamed for the resurgence. Deborah's daughter, Artemis pleaded on their behalf. But the Rose family were still in charge and cast final judgement. Artemis is the only reason Gideon's descendents weren't wiped out. They were instead re-branded as false prophets, Seerlie...Gideon's oldest child was forced to take this name instead of their own."

"Seerlie became Seerlivey." Ruby said knowingly. Levi nodded.

"They became further ostracized." Levi continued. "Everytime something bad happened in the world they were blamed. That is, until Ozpin and Salem reconstituted and redirected the world into their chess game. Even so, the Seerlivey were forced to live under the Rose family's boot for thousands of years."

"Levi…" Ruby said. "Is there any others?" Levi paused.

"No...I am the last. During the Great War we had a similar fate to all our brethren. Someone got the idea that the Argentware were the greatest warriors in history. Sound familiar?"

"It was the Rose family who ended up stopping that though."

"Only after they inspired all their brethren to fight and die on the frontlines." Levi hissed. "Face it Ruby, we're products of the Great War, products of the game Ozpin and Salem played and will play again."

"What happened to the Seerlivey family?" Ruby asked.

"Our family was slaughtered, save for a brother and sister who took refuge with Archibald Damocles." Levi unfurled his weapon. "He was a descendent of Deborah. An Argentware without silver eyes...much like several of your children including the one who gave me this scar." He ran his finger over the scar over his eye. "A few decades later my parents died in an attack. I was saved by Cipher's Commander. Cipher had been watching over my family ever since Aero Seerlivey made her pact with Avis Bran."

"I don't know what to say. I guess I'm sorry. Even though I had nothing to do with it, I can see why...I mean, just the fact I still use a rose as my emblem could serve to remind you of all the bad blood." Ruby reached out her hand. "But WE can be don't have to fight. You can still hate me to your dying breath. I know the two of us have shed too much of each other's blood to just make up. But our descendents can change all that. Levi, Prim was appointed to be the next Guardian of Remnant. A Grimm resurgence is coming and I'm not going to have the strength to stop it. Aregentware semblances are hereditary. If you were to have a child they'd be a great successor to my daughter. We can fight this together. We CAN change the world. Just let me stop this. Let me put away this one last demon that Ozpin and Salem created."

Nephrite looked at Weiss. Weiss looked at Ruby. Ruby looked at Levi. Levi looked at Citrine. Citrine looked at Eiess. Eiess looked at Topaz, who had an attack ready just in case. Topaz looked at Nephrite. All of them awaited Levi's answer. Nephrite thought about her own family. They too were noble in origin but hadn't had any significant power since the early days of the Great War. The Schnees were the same way but still treated as royalty. The Azul's were among the most prestigious, and were by far the most powerful family in Mistral. Nephrite pondered just how many other families had a similar story to that of the Roses and Seerliveys.

"No." Levi said. "I'll never help you. Should you fail...it'll be penance for sins long past. I don't care about living up to a cursed legacy. I tried rejecting my legacy altogether and become nothing but Vile but you forced me to accept what I was. I am utterly content dying here." He looked at Weiss. "Because I'm willing to die to prove you wrong. People aren't worth saving. They aren't worth caring about. I'm not worth you reaching out."

"What about your medic friend?" Weiss said as her features softened.

"Isabella?" Levi gasped.

"So, that's her name?" Weiss said. "Without her you would have died from the injuries you sustained during your first night of fighting us."

"She's a tool fulfilling her purpose."

"Hypocrite!" Nephrite accused as she stepped forward.

"All this started because you hate the role the Argentware were forced to play." Citrine added. "Gideon hated how his niece could live so foolishly. His children hated how they were blamed for something out of their control just because they predicted it and failed to prevent it. You hate everything my mom, what we represent. Yet, you take the one person who genuinely cares for you and objectify her. Cloak, Dagger, Avis, they used you. To hell with any promises they made they don't care about you but she does."

"You don't know anything about us!" Levi shot back. "We've been in Cipher together almost from the beginning. She's someone who has purpose, just like you! That purpose is helping me achieve my goal and make you suffer." He drew his gun and aimed it at Weiss. Ruby grabbed his wrist and pointed the gun at her own head.

"Mom!" Citrine screamed but nothing happened.

"We both know you're empty." Ruby said. She pushed the gun aside and hit Levi in the face. This time, he spat blood and Ruby's knuckles tore open.

"Mom, you have to stop this." Eiess pleaded.

"No." Weiss said coldly.

Ruby and Levi weren't fighting with skill or power or magic. They weren't fighting with aura or weapons. They were no longer fighting with words. They just repeatedly grunted and punched each other, waiting to see which would collapse first.

Nephrite stepped forward to help but Weiss put up a glyph to get in her way. Team CTEN looked at each other. Part of Nephrite wanted to go and help just end this anyway. Part of her wanted to prove Levi wrong. Part of her knew he was right.

"Mom?" Eiess squeezed her eyes shut.

"They made this bed." Weiss said.

Ruby clearly had the physical advantage in a mindless fight like this. Neither had what it took to dodge. She was stronger and faster than Levi physically. But Levi had armor. Each of his blows blotted Ruby's face and broke bones. Each of her blows tore chunks of his armor off until he was wearing nothing but a skintight suit. By that point, Ruby was a stubborn bloody mess.

"So, that's what you look like." Ruby said through her bruised face. Levi moved to punch Ruby in the forehead but his fist lazily flattened against her face.

"You better just kill me." Levi growled. "Because killing you is my lot in life. To hell with idealism. I need to prove to myself that I'm right. Just like you need to prove to yourself that you're right."

"No." Ruby said defiantly. "Because I know I can beat you. And if I can't and I die...I know someone will be there to finish you off. If I die, you're coming with me." Nephrite's eyes went wide as she saw where they were.

"Mrs. Ruby that's…" Nephrite ran forward but Weiss was faster.

"So be it." Levi sighed. He grabbed Ruby by the collar and flew backwards into the active Grimm pool. Levi fell in first. Weiss reached it just in time to catch Ruby before she fell all the way in. Weiss and Team CTEN pulled her out of the Grimm pool.

"You impulsive idiot." Weiss slapped Ruby. The Grimm pool dried.

"It must be drying from swallowing up an Argentware." Nephrite said. She knew they should be celebrating the defeat of such a powerful enemy. But the look on Ruby's face said something differently.

"Weiss...I can't feel my aura recovering." Ruby said. Nephrite examined Ruby's spirit.

"You still have the power of Spring." Nephrite said. "But something's wrong. Your aura threads are blocked."

"The pool." Weiss said. "Ruby…"

"Ruby!" Yang's voice echoed. She was joined by Blake. "Ruby, we saw what happened at the end."

"Is it really over?" Blake asked. Nephrite examined the dried pool.

"I can't feel his aura anywhere." Nephrite said. "Which means he's gone...for good."

"Yang." Ruby said in a fragile voice Nephrite had never heard before. "My aura…"

"Take this." Yang took out a soldier pill from her sack.

"I already took one half an hour ago." Ruby said. "There's something wrong with my aura."

"It's alright." Yang gave her a big hug. "We'll take it from here." A snap later, Avis Bran appeared. Nova was still under his boot and he held Raven's silver blade.

"If you want anything done you have to do it yourself." Avis said.

"Nova!" Blake cried. Nephrite's eyes went wide yet again.

"NOVA!" They all said together as they saw the lack of a right hand. Nova refused to look them in the eyes.

"Ruby." Blake said. "We have a secondary recovery method." She took out a syringe. "It'll give you a boost but...with your aura there's no telling...Ruby this may be your last fight."

Well then!" She snapped the syringe out of Blake's hand and injected it into herself. "Let's make it a fight worthy of Team RWBY!"

 **AN: I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. A big part of me didn't want Levi to die. Hell, there's actually a possibility he is somehow alive. I can easily contrive like, five different ways to bring him back but I don't think I will. Because Levi is the cynical response to Ruby. To get pretentious and analyze my own work, he's the consequence of being overly paragon. Everything about him is tied to Ruby and...well...Next Time: Swan Song.**


	128. Swan Song

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: I really do feel like this is the end of an era. I remember an earlier review pointed out and asked if the new generation is ever going to have to stand on their own two feet because, those earlier battles had a lot of interference from Team RWBY. Well, as the title suggests this is one last hurrah.**

Chapter 128: Swan Song

The minute Ruby was pulled out of the Grimm pool, she knew something was wrong. She had been beaten before. She had felt drained before. She had passed out from exhaustion on plenty of occasions. She had been bit by Grimm and felt their teeth break on her aura. She had sustained traumatic wounds on a few occasions. But nothing felt like this. Everytime she had been hurt she could at least feel her body recovering. She could feel her aura nestled inside her slowly, over the course of days sometimes, recovering. This time was different. She was empty.

Even after the boost Blake gave her, she merely felt like the power was being contained in her body and when it ran out she'd be done. But this wasn't the time for such worries. Avis Bran stood in front of them. One last monster to put down. One last battle for Team RWBY. One last act of heroism before she had to pass the torch onto someone else.

She looked at Nova, broken and scared. Eiess was worried. Topaz was anxious. Nephrite stoic, just like her father. All the other huntsmen were tying up loose ends with the Grimm and androids. Citrine looked borderline angelic with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

Ruby was surrounded by most of those closest to her. The three girls who had her back when she first started her hero's journey. She knew Penny and Nora were on the island batting cleanup. Jaune was at home with the rest of the kids eagerly waiting for their return.

Ruby looked to the sky where she imagined the souls of fallen heroes laid. She imagined Abraham, the rest of her ancestors, her mother, father, Pyrrha, Akagi, Glynda, Port, Ambrose, Salem, Ozpin, Uncle Qrow and Aunt Raven and all the rest watching her.

"Here." Yang handed Ruby her weapon. Ruby unfurled the scythe. The only weapon she could ever get good with. Crescent Rose had gone through a few iterations but at its core it remained the same. Just like Ruby did. She always had the soul of a hero. Then she was a hero in every sense of the word.

"Alright Team RWBY!" Ruby cheered. Her eyes lit up with the power of Spring and the light of the Argentware. She filtered her powers through the creation Relic, creating a sizable golem. Weiss summoned her giant dread knight. Blake readied her weapon and shot a trio of clones out. Yang's body lit ablaze with the power of the Blessed White Raven.

All four women gave cheerful nods. Ruby ran forward first slamming her scythe down on Avis in the blink of an eye. Avis blocked it with the silver sword. It took all his strength to withstand the blow. Yang closed in next, hitting him with a powerful punch to the ribs that blasted him back a step. Weiss attacked next, hitting Avis with a barrage of blindingly fast rapier thrusts. Her summon closed in next and smashed him away. Blake's clones flanked him, struck him once and exploded before he could regain composure.

"Get away from my daughter!" Blake said with conviction.

"Make me!" Avis held up his hand and snapped his fingers. Blake dodged to where Avis teleported a clone instead of her.

"Monochrome." Ruby called the team attack. Weiss hit Blake with time dilation. Blake sent a trio of shadow clones. Avis sliced them apart, only to find that Weiss had fused them with glyphs that forced Avis into a stasis.

"A true master Schnee can make time dilation go both ways." Weiss said. Blake fired skull-rounds from her gun, punching holes in Avis' hide. Went the time dilation broke, Avis went flying from all the built up kinetic energy.

"Freezerburn." Ruby said. Weiss used a glyph to launch Yang at Avis. She began a barrage of machine gun punches. He returned the blows with his own talents. But this wasn't the first time Yang had fought an opponent like this. She was ready. After a few hits she caught his hand and crushed it.

"You're not going anywhere." Yang growled.

"Strawberry!" Ruby cheered as she scattered to Yang's side.

"Heart stop!" Avis yelled. Ruby felt her heart grew heavier. She could feel Avis trying to dominate her will. It was just like with Salem, or Tobi's bomb during the siege. Ruby passed this test twice before and she passed it this time as well. She slammed her scythe Around Avis' wing and fired. The scythe dug in while Yang unleashed a powerful graviton punch. The two opposing forces sandwiched him and ripped the wing apart.

"You're grounded." Yang laughed. Avis quickly snapped his other fingers. Ruby managed to get in the way to where she was teleported instead of Yang. In truth, she could have resisted it thanks to the Redstone in her scope, but she wanted to lure Avis into a false sense of security.

"Bumblebee!" Ruby yelled. Weiss gave Blake a boost. Ruby quickly calculated how far she had been teleported to give a good estimate on the correlation between how long Avis has to charge up the snap and how far what he's teleporting goes.

Blake slammed her sword down into Avis' shoulder. Yang kicked him in the stomach. Blake sliced into his hide. Yang punched him several more times. He braced himself and tried fighting back. But from that one exchange Ruby knew he was relying on brute strength alone which was the absolute worst thing anyone could possibly try against the bumblebee combination. Blake managed to trip him up and swipe the crown from his body.

"Heart stop." Avis groaned. Blake froze in her tracks. Avis stabbed her through the back with the silver blade. Yang hit the blade with a palm strike and punched through Blake. Blake's clone wrapped around Yang's fist and gave her punch even more of an explosive boost.

Avis stepped back. Ruby joined Weiss side while Yang forced Avis back. Avis' movements became even more frantic. What's more, both Blake and Yang had Redstone and couldn't be teleported away. From the second Blake managed to snag the Relic of Knowledge off his head, he lost one of only two true advantages. And his attempts at trying to dominate Yang's heart only fueled her flames.

"Just because you can see something coming doesn't mean you can DODGE!" Yang said as she landed a haymaker to Avis' head.

Avis lashed out with a dozen tendrils. Ruby tried stopping them with her silver eyes but it didn't work, meaning Flask was not in control. Weiss intercepted the tendrils with repulse glyphs. She summoned her dread knight to wrap the tendrils up. She sent a Panic summon to stun him with fear and slash him across the chest with claws equal in strength to his. Ruby unleashed the golem she had previously made to grab him. She overhauled her powers to blow the golem up, catching Avis in the blast. Yang elbowed and disarmed him. She passed the silver blade to Ruby.

"Go away!" Avis whinned.

"Ruby!" Blake tried running in.

Avis snapped. He must have been building up a long time. Because Ruby felt a powerful vacuum tearing her apart. Her eyes threatened to pop out of her head. Freezing cold scorched her body. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her nose. She used her maiden powers to surround herself in moonstone. The creation relic created a temporary atmosphere for her. She spread her powers to two nearby floating moon boulders. The moon got her into this, the moon will get her out.

She launched herself back at Remnant like an orbital missile. In just two seconds she started piercing the atmosphere. The rock around her caught flame as it hit entrance velocity. She split the rock open so she could see where she was going. She aimed herself at Avis' island and as she drew closer, aimed herself at Avis Bran himself. The moonstones followed her in her wake.

She only had a fraction of a fraction of a second to register how the situation had progressed in her absence. Weiss, Yang and Blake were still holding their own. Ruby hit Avis with an impact strong enough to split a continent. The boulders behind her slammed into Avis' sides and exploded into molten rock. She took the silver blade and slammed it into Avis' head.

"Impressive kiddo." Avarice's familiar voice said. "Sadly you can't get us both at once but I'd happily retreat into Nevermore's favored blade. But the Relic is keeping me from fighting back."

"No!" Avis cried. "I was supposed to be stronger than this." Ruby grabbed his chest and pulled the Relic of Freewill from his body.

"You're just a monster!" Ruby said. "No better than the creatures I've slaughtered by the hundreds. You're nothing compared to King. You're nothing compared to Salem. Hell...you're not even as strong as Levi!" With one last twist of the blade she blasted him in half. His body pulled itself back together but the Grimoire essence was extracted.

"Flask is getting away." Blake said. Sure enough, Flask left his body and slipped into a narrow crevice in the rock.

"Damn it." Yang said.

"We'll deal with that later." Weiss said. Ruby tried getting on her feet but collapsed. She had burned through the boost Blake gave her. She was done. She leaned back and watched Yang grab the weakened Avis Bran by the collar. Blake sat to comfort her wounded daughter. Weiss stood over Ruby like a silent guardian, daring anyone to try to take advantage of the situation.

"If only Jaune could see me now." Ruby whispered.

"You'll have plenty of time to talk to him." Weiss said with a smile. "You were amazing today. Stubborn, stupid and irritating but amazing and I wouldn't have you any other way. It's going to be sad seeing you retire."

"Retire?" Ruby laughed. "As soon as I recover...and take the family out for a nice long vacation...I'll be right back out there."

"Ruby...we've done the tests on Grimm essence." Weiss said sorrowfully. "There is no recovering." Ruby frowned. She didn't want to believe she was done. But as she looked to the next generation she smiled and picked herself up.

"Well then...I'm glad the next generation looks so bright."

"This is what we set out to do after Salem." Weiss said.

"One last attack?" Ruby asked.

"One last attack." Weiss nodded.

"Ice flower." Ruby said as she slammed her scythe to the ground. She fired a supercharged shot, amplified by the bolt glyph.

"No!" Avis screamed as he froze.

"Mom?" Citrine said as she watched her mother's last attack. Ruby gathered one more bit of magic.

"Kill shot!" Ruby said. Explosive thorny branches shot out and hit Avis' chest. Yang hit his back with an Execution Fist. Weiss hit him from above with Lunar Thrust. Blake cut upward with a moonslice. Avis' human body split apart like a ball bursting at its seams. He fell limply at the feet of the children. His body sparked as if trying to recover but the sparking stopped. It was over. He was alive but beaten. They won.

Ruby slumped back down. She felt her body withering and thinning. She thought about Primm. She thought about all her family but in case the Spring Maiden power left her, she knew Prim would need it most as the Guardian. The thoughts were pointless though. Her muscles deteriorated until she could hardly move. Then they stopped.

"Mrs. Ruby." Nephrite said.

"Yes?" Ruby asked.

"You...you look thinner...like you aged ten years."

"How does my aura look?"

"It's gone. The entire network is gone. All I see is the essence of your soul residing in your heart, and the power of Spring right next to it."

"So, I'm useless but alive and still burdened with this power." Ruby laughed. "I guess I'll find something to do with it."

"Used to be…" Yang said. "In those rare instances when a Maiden would live to an old age they would retire and use their power to fix things instead of fighting Grimm."

"Sounds about right." Ruby sighed.

"Grey's a good look for you." Yang said. Ruby looked at a strand of her hair. Sure enough it had greyed a little bit. There was still that tinge of dark red giving her hair a distinguished feel.

"The brightest lights burn the fastest. I'm just over forty and my hunting days are done." She contained her anger. "But what's important is that we're all alive."

 **AN: The one last hurrah of Team RWBY, the last time they'll ever be able to fight together. I also consider the bit with the moon the most ridiculous thing I've ever written. Fun fact, that particular bit was originally going to be during the fight everyone had with Avis back during the flood arc. But I decided against it and had Ruby sit that battle out so that I could do it here in the finale. Next Time: Avis' Dream**


	129. Avis' Dream

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: These last two chapters are going to run at a much calmer pace. Avis has been defeated and the torch has been passed from Team RWBY/JNPR/SSSN to Team CTEN/JANS/PNGC.**

Chapter 129: Avis' Dream

Citrine stood over the body of Avis Bran. His breathing was labored. His body torn and bleeding out. Citrine knew that she should take pity on the criminal. He was insane but not evil. He had his goals and didn't care who got in the way. In that sense, he could have been seen as admirable. Certainly plenty of people had tried to find their peace of mind at the expense of others. But after everything he did, Citrine couldn't bring herself to forgive him.

"Why?" Citrine asked. "What brought you to do these things?" She wasn't expecting an answer. Part of her didn't want to hear it. The other part just wanted to rationalize why so many people had to die.

"I…" Avis groaned. His red eyes looked up at Citrine. "I once dreamed a dream but now that dream has been taken from me."

"There's no coming back this time." Topaz said. "Your soul isn't going to hide in a silver blade like it did last time you died."

"I know." Avis coughed out. "I know." His eyes looked up at his tower. He reached a hand up. "All I ever wanted...was to see that castle in the sky."

"What are you talking about?" Topaz asked.

"A fairy tale lost to time I'm afraid." Avis sighed. "It was my favorite growing up. Remnant is full of these stories and more often than not they are based in truth. I wanted to believe there was a paradise somewhere out there where no one had to deal with the Grimm or bandits or the chains of petty morality."

"Those chains are what separate us from the animals." Eiess said.

"No they aren't." Avis said. "Animals follow their own natural law. What makes us better is our ability to govern ourselves and make up our own morality. To do as we please in accordance to our own will and not the will of others." He strained in pain.

"Was it worth it?" Topaz asked. "Was it worth all this bloodshed and losing everything? Thousands of years of planning, undone in a single year."

"Is it?" Avis coughed. "If only I could have lived a little longer." His hand shook as his fingers pressed together.

"Girls, the last of the Grimm pits has been cleared!" Yang called. "We're going home."

"What about the island?" Citrine asked. "If we destroy it…"

"It'll all fall into the water anyway." Yang cut her off. "Only way we can make the flood waters recede is if we pull the island up and move it elsewhere, on dry land."

"Avis…" Citrine said. "You can do that. You can do this one thing!"

"No, I can't." Avis laughed. "The waters will recede but this island stays here." He snapped his fingers. The ground started to shake. The nearby emptied Grimm pit started to glow.

"Mom!" Eiess said. "Do you have a map of the island with all the Grimm pits?"

"Why yes I…" Weiss took her scroll out and looked at the map. "We have to go now!"

"What's going on?" Citrine asked.

"I may not live to see my dream come true." Avis laughed. "But this...this is my dream. Unlike Salem and Avarice I could never be satisfied with Remnant." His hand dropped and his breathing stopped.

"Come on!" Topaz grabbed Citrine.

"I can't run." Ruby said.

"Here." Weiss grabbed Crescent Rose and Yang picked Ruby up and carried her piggyback style. Sun grabbed Nova and tried carrying her. She shoved him away.

"I can move just fine." Nova said.

"Nova!" Johnny came from around the corner.

"Johnny?" Nova said as Johnny pulled her into a hug.

"We have to leave." He said.

"We all know." Nova said as she handed Johnny his weapon. "What exactly is going on?" She asked while they all ran for the ships.

"He had a system set up with the Grimm pits." Johnny explained. "Now that they're all dried, the energy that created them is being cycled into the tower. He's pulling it into Oblivion. This whole area is about to not exist in Remnant."

"What the actual hell?" Topaz yelled.

"I always thought of it more like purgatory." Johnny joked.

"Now is NOT the time." Yang said. Black Gates started springing up all over the island.

"This whole place has just become extremely unstable." Weiss said.

"Can't we use these portals to escape?" Nephrite asked.

"There's no telling where we'll wind up or if we'll even make it to the other side." Yang said. The group scattered to avoid the portals. Eiess followed closely behind Citrine. They were close to the ships. Most other people had already reached the ships and were pulling out. Only those closest to the tower still hadn't made it. A Black Gate sprung up between Nova and Johnny. Johnny pushed her forward, she grabbed him and shot fire from her feet to throw them both into a ship.

Just as Citrine was one jump away from reaching a ship she heard a scream. Eiess had tripped on the shifting stone. She tried catching herself but a Black Gate sprung up underneath her. She fell in backwards as she screamed.

"Eiess!" Citrine reached out.

"No!" Weiss cried. She tried running in there but was grabbed by Neptune.

"We'll find her later!" Neptune said.

"If you go through that same portal there's no guarantee that you'll come out in the same place." Yang said.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." Johnny said.

"The odds of her landing in a safe place is slim though." Nephrite said in a frantic breath.

"I'm going after her." Citrine said.

"Citrine, don't." Johnny said.

"I have to try." Citrine said. "I'm an Argentware. I have a much greater chance of making it through safely."

"But…" Johnny argued.

"Take this and go!" Nova shouted as she threw a red crown. "I have a feeling that it'll be more useful for you right now."

"Thanks." Citrine nodded and put the relic on. "See you on the other side."

"I better!" Nova shouted as Citrine dashed through the portal. She saw the familiar swirl of red and black. She felt it searing her eyes, trying to draw her power out. She scattered through the wormholes diving and climbing like a roller coaster. The pathway twisted and skewed every which way.

The entire time, Citrine had her mind on one word, Eiess. She knew the portals worked on the mind rather than the soul. With the Relic of Knowledge on her head she maintained focus. The winding path narrowed and straightened to her will. Than she saw Eiess, falling with tears in her eyes.

"Eiess!" Citrine called. Eiess' eyes shot open.

"Citrine, what are you doing in a place like this?" Eiess asked.

"I wanted...I needed to make sure you were okay!" Citrine fell closer and closer, reaching out for Eiess.

"Citrine...I'm scared." Eiess said.

"Just focus on me!"

"Don't have to tell me twice." Eiess closed her eyes and Citrine reached her hand.

"Just think of a place." Citrine said.

"I already tried that!" Eiess said. "I thought about home and it didn't work."

"The portal is unstable but with this Relic we can make it." Citrine said.

"Relic?" Eiess looked over Citrine's features and smiled. "It's a good look."

"Thank you." Citrine said. Eiess closed her eyes and thought.

"Why don't you think of a place?" Eiess asked.

"I'm focusing on keeping this portal from collapsing in on us!" Citrine said.

"Alright." Eiess slowed her breathing. The cutest smirk crossed her face. A moment later, the Black Gate tore apart. The light of day blasted into Citrine's eyes as they shot out of the portal like a bullet.

An instant later they landed head first in a sand dune. They bounced and slid down a dune before coming to a stop. Eiess landed on top of Citrine. Their arms were around each other and their faces were extremely close. Eiess pecked her on the lips before rolling off of her.

"Where are we?" Citrine asked as she rubbed her head. Eiess stood up and brushed the sand off of her skirt.

"The most beautiful place my family ever took me." Eiess said.

"Are we in Vacuo?" Citrine asked.

"We're right outside the town of Wao Akua Wele Wai." Eiess said. "It's a beautiful resort town that's very expensive and difficult to get to." Eiess sat down at the edge of a pool of crystal clear water. "We can call my dad or your dad or whoever, whenever we want. But we'll have at least two days to ourselves." Eiess giggled.

"A few days to ourselves?" Citrine sighed. "Sounds good to me." She laid back in the sand and Eiess laid down with her. "It kinda impresses me how you can be so shy but when you're forward you're really, really...like way too forward."

"So, you figured out my ulterior motive?"

"Well, I think we've deserved it." Citrine rolled over and kissed Eiess on the cheek.

 **AN: Wasn't Avis Bran's dream just to live a peaceful life where he can research whatever he wants? He may have been a murderous psychopath but he wasn't all that different from many of the other characters. Next time will be the real wind down and epilogue as our characters return to Beacon.**


	130. Finish Line

The Castle in the Sky

 **AN: This is it. The final chapter. I jumped the gun on yesterday's chapter so you're getting this AND the Bonus Chapter way earlier than what was planned. Now to answer the Guest's questions. 1. Not really. It is in a sense that this is while they're students and the next part they will all be graduated huntsmen and huntresses. But it's more like Volumes 1-3 + the final two arcs from RWBYond Vale. 2. Johnny is certainly comparable to Citrine and Nova (as is Topaz actually). Nova is certainly more powerful than either of them but Johnny well...he's got more of the makings of a headmaster than a powerhouse huntsman. I'd say at his strongest he'll be stronger than Tyrian or Qrow or anyone like that. Citrine will be on that level too and Nova will be closer to Ruby and Cinder's level. I also have a mindset that Citrine is going to end up as the weakest out of her siblings. Just thought that'd be a fun dynamic.**

Chapter 130: Finish Line

Eiess woke from a deep and satisfying slumber. Citrine slightly snored next to her, in the same bed. Eiess' face blushed as she gave a sultry smile to her sleeping partner. Eiess grabbed her scroll and walked into the bathroom. She had a couple new messages. She took note of them without opening them so she could focus on her morning routine.

Eiess grabbed a toothbrush and the tube of toothpaste and started brushing her teeth. She took a nice long look at herself in the mirror. She looked so happy. She looked happier than she'd been for a long time. Maybe it was because they won the battle. Maybe it was because she got to spend time with her mom doing something they both clearly loved. Most likely, it was because she finally got to sleep alone with Citrine.

After finishing with her teeth she stared at her reflection. For so long she had questioned who she was. She was a Schnee, that much was for sure. But finding out that her mother had lied to her about her father fractured Eiess' spirit for a moment. Citrine was the only one capable of keeping the pieces together and she did, after a while. Now she knew who she was. More than a Schnee, she was Eiess. She was Citrine's partner, best friend and girlfriend.

'We're on our way.' Her mother's message read. She had spread word to her father, who allowed her some free time and even wired her a bit more money. He may not have provided the initial DNA, but she was his daughter as much as she was Weiss' and Eiess knew that more than ever now.

'Wish you were here.' Topaz's message read. Attached was a picture from the ship. A massive reddish-black dome had swallowed up the island. The flood waters receded but the dome remained. Eiess theorized that that particular part of the planet was now in Oblivion, and quite possibly served as a gateway to that mysterious realm.

"Good morning love." Citrine said.

"Good morning sleepy head." Eiess crawled back into bed, crawling her way to Citrine.

"Did you see the picture Topaz sent?" Citrine asked.

"Yeah. It's pretty crazy." Eiess said.

"I don't think the fight is over." Citrine warned. "Prim told me about her little conversation with Abraham. He said the veil between the worlds is thinning. I think this is what he was talking about."

"Probably." Eiess admitted. She wrapped her arms around Citrine. "With immortal, ever spawning monsters like the Grimm the fight is never over." Eiess smiled. "I think we're ready for it. And well...pragmatically this is a good thing. Between the inevitable rise in Grimm activity and your mom being out of commission there's going to be a greater need for huntsmen."

"Yeah, but that also means more chances of people getting hurt." Citrine said.

"Well, that's why we're here." Eiess laid down. "To make things better." A knock on the door interrupted them. "Ah, I guess our ride is here." Eiess resigned herself to opening the door. When she opened it the only one there was Nova looking pretty pissed...so just another day for Nova.

"Hey Nova!" Citrine waved.

"YOU!" Nova said angrily.

"Me?" Citrine pointed to herself. Nova stormed into the room and grabbed her by the collar.

"What were you thinking?" Nova said.

"Um, you're one to talk." Citrine muttered.

"It's infuriating!" Nova said. "The whole way here...everyone kept on talking about how brave you are and how sorry they were for me." Nova was fighting off tears. She gave a frustrated scream and punched Citrine. "Sorry...I just really needed to vent that way."

"Anytime." Citrine wiped her cheek. "Just give a girl a warning next time."

"Anyway." Nova took a deep breath. "The crown."

"Oh…" Citrine dug into a drawer. "Here." She pulled out the crown and passed it to Nova.

"Thanks." Nova twirled it in her hands. She sniffed the air. "What's that smell?"

"Nothing." Eiess blushed.

"Don't worry about it." Citrine defended.

"Nova?" Johnny walked in. "Don't run off half-cocked like that."

"You're not the boss of me." Nova crossed her arms.

"Hey Johnny!" Nova stood up and gave him a hug.

"So, what's up?" Eiess said. "I was expecting my mom."

"Weiss didn't want to...interrupt you guys. Nova was all too happy to." Johnny explained. "Weiss is getting a few rooms organized."

"So, we're staying here?" Eiess asked.

"Might as well." Johnny shrugged. Eiess looked at Nova's hand. She frowned as she saw the purple tinted metal on her stub.

"So, you have a new hand." Eiess said.

"Yeah." She held it up to her face. "This guy named Rubrum made it for me."

"Isn't that Nickel's dad?" Eiess asked.

"Yep." Johnny said.

"He made it out of heat resistant material." Nova growled. "Even so...I'll never be able to go all out without melting this hand."

"I was thinking about something about that." Johnny said. "Back when we were on Vytal, you couldn't melt Dagger's sword. I was wondering...if we could make a silver hand for you."

"I'd be more than happy to supply the metal." Citrine said.

"Mrs. Ruby could probably forge it into something if she worked with Rubrum." Eiess said.

"They're going to see if it's possible." Nova said. "But Mrs. Ruby needs the King's Chart first. It could be a while." Nova punched the wall. "It's not fair." Nova pouted. "Mrs. Ruby isn't recovering. She can barely use her powers anymore and she can hardly move. She was supposed to be the strongest. She was supposed to help me get strong! Now...now…"

"It's alright Nova." Johnny said. "We're all in this together." He put a hand on her shoulder. Topaz, Nephrite, Ariadne and Scott walked in.

"Hello!" Citrine waved.

"Pretty sneaky Citrine." Scott said. "Sneaking away with your girlfriend under the guise of a heroic act." He shook his head. "I don't think it's possible for a better time for you two to…" Ariadne knocked him on the head.

"Don't be a prude." Ariadne growled.

"Well...he's not wrong." Eiess accidentally said out loud.

"Alrighty then!" Topaz said.

"You got the relic?" Nephrite asked.

"Got it right here." Nova held it up.

"What's going to happen with it?" Citrine asked.

"Well...Cinder still has the Relic of Destruction." Nova said.

"Raven died and we weren't able to recover the body." Topaz said. "August is taking over the Arbiters. They wanted Blake or Yang to lead but they both refused."

"My mom is retiring." Nova said.

"She overexerted herself fighting Avis." Nephrite said. "She'll probably never properly walk again."

"Only reason she was able to do as much as she did is because Weiss hooked her up with a leg brace." Johnny said. "But that only did so much."

"Anyway, The Relic of Knowledge is going to the Arbiters where it belongs." Topaz said.

"The Relic of Freewill is going to get buried in Mantle." Johnny added.

"Leaving the Relic of Creation to hide away in Vale." Nephrite said.

"So...everything is right?" Citrine said.

"Right as they will be." Ariadne said. "Quite a bit has changed this last year. But I for one, am more determined than ever to fulfill my dream and make my corner of the world a little safer."

"Hear, hear." Scott cheered. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"So...this place has a pool." Topaz said. "I'm going in if you want to join me."

"Of course!" Scott cheered.

"Sure." Nephrite nodded. Ariadne, Johnny and Citrine followed them.

"You coming?" Topaz asked.

"Oh, I was going to jump in the shower first, but I guess that can wait." Eiess said. "Nova?" Nova was staring out the window with the Relic of Knowledge on her head.

"Cinder's there you know." She said. "On Avis' island. With this crown, I can sense it. I played right into her hands."

"Well, let's hope she stays in that realm." Eiess said.

"Yeah." Nova said. Eiess followed the others out into the hall. She chased after them and grabbed Citrine's hand.

"Citrine…" Nephrite said. "Apparently Patch got attacked by a pack of beowolves last night."

"What?" Citrine started freaking out.

"No one got hurt." Nephrite said. "In fact, it was Team PNGC that jumped into the frontlines and saved everyone."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Prim is the talk of the town now." Nephrite said. "She's going to be on TV and everything."

"That's neat." Citrine sighed. "But don't scare me like that."

"Don't worry." Nephrite said. "If something serious happened I would have told you earlier."

"Hey, it's getting to that time where we should be on the lookout for job opportunities." Scott said. "I think I'm just going to freelance my way around. Don't feel like being tied up to a single place."

"Same." Topaz said. "Sea specialists are still a hot commodity, especially since my gramps died and that Neptune guy is taking over. I'll have a nice stream of work for the rest of my life."

"I think I'll just stick around Vale." Nephrite said. "Patrol the walls, keep Forever Fall under wraps, that sort of thing. I'll probably apply for a teaching job at Beacon."

"I think you'd do excellent at that." Johnny said.

"What about you?" Citrine asked Johnny.

"Well…" He rubbed the back of his head. "Someone has to keep Nova from getting herself killed. So, it's wherever danger is greatest for us."

"Awe…" Citrine smiled. "I'm the same way."

"I just want to go back home and maintain the peace." Ariadne said.

"What about you, Eiess?" Topaz asked.

"She's going to have that whole SDC to run before too long." Citrine said.

"Actually…" Eiess said as she tightened her grip. "I want to be wherever you are." Citrine blushed. "I would be honored to head the SDC but I don't think it's what I want. I want to be a huntress, living off the land and staying by your side constantly for the rest of my life. Besides...Nick is much more interested in the family company than I am. He should have it."

"Are you sure?" Citrine asked.

"Not absolutely." Eiess said. "I'm going to think it over for a while, until we graduate at least."

"Good idea." Johnny said. "If so much can change in the two years I've known all of you, imagine what another two years will do."

Eiess didn't know what the future held for her and her friends. She only knew that no matter what came their way she, and they'd be ready for it. They'd face whatever challenges came and they'd face them together. Nothing could come between them now.

 **AN: There will be a bonus chapter that'll include a sneak peak at the future, as well as my reflection on these 130 chapters and some announcements of other stories and projects I have in the work in the meantime. I hope you enjoyed this. Please leave a review telling me what you thought and I'll address them in the Bonus Chapter coming soon.**


	131. Bonus Chapter

Thank you for reading RWBYond Generations. It's been one helluva ride for me bringing you guys 130 chapters starting all the way back at the beginning of the year.

Now for some announcements:

My YouTube channel has 2 ongoing series. _MIS: Most Important Scene_ where I talk about my favorite films, and _An Honest Look in RWBY_ where I break down a character or concept in RWBY.

I'm entering a writing contest. I'm writing a short story. The working title is "Rhodes" and it's a detective story about a...well...detective trying to solve a murder mystery that may or may not have been perpetrated by a monster. Keep an eye on my profile for details.

 _Guardians of Terra: Vanguard_ will progress nicely for the next couple of days. I'm going to get through the first arc of that (which I'm halfway through) before doing any more RWBY stuff.

Speaking of RWBY, by popular demand, my most popular story "Just Act Casually" is getting a sequel. Coming in August is "Just Act Maturely," the continuation of the vulgar, somewhat lewd Lancaster story starring a Ruby who swears like a sailor and a Jaune who lives with her and is her bestfriend/boyfriend. I won't give away any plot details here but I will thank my podcast partner Hi-Powered for giving me the idea.

But if you must know, there will be another RWBYond installment coming later this year. I haven't decided on a name but I have hammered out a few basic storylines, a tone and an episodic structure. Some titles I'm thinking of ar: RWBYond School, RWBYond Justice, RWBYond The Void and RWBYond Home. And since you've all been a lovely audience, I even have a little teaser for you.

The image of a rose fades into a picture.

The Rose-Arc family stands in a village square.

Bodies litter an alleyway with a shadowy figure in a pointed hat standing over them, guns drawn.

Prim stands confidently with Corcea Mors.

Glade stands at her back with his spear and shield-Calamum Forti.

Packages marked to Vacuo clutter a cargo hold. Chénzi sorts through them.

Ruby holds a significantly older Gelb.

Citrine stands proudly with Clockwork Rose strapped to her back. Argent is behind her.

The family takes a portrait at a street corner in Vacuo, joined by Sun, Blake, Nova, Johnny, Eiess and the rest of Team PNGC, along with two new characters. One of the new characters seems to be paying more attention to Glade than the camera. The picture appears on a table full of scraps. All the paper turns to dust as a meticulously manicured hand slaps the pictures.

Prim, Glade and Chénzi take a dip in an oasis.

The same hand from before grabs a woman.

Team PGNC walk through a city filled with intricate stone statues.

Nickel watches her team enjoying the oasis pool.

Glade and Chénzi bicker while Citrine, Eiess and Prim keep walking. Meanwhile a masked kid watches them from the sky.

The manicured hand grabs an ornate rose and crushes it.

A beowolf leaps from the shadows.

Critine, Primm and Glade confront a horde of Grimm.

Eiess sits alone in her apartment.

She chases after Citrine and grabs her hand.

The manicured hand reaches over a counter and grabs a man's throat.

The shadowy gun toting figure drops down behind Nickel.

Nova is chased by an army of identical ninjas.

The manicured hand reaches for a civilian girl as she screams in fright.

Flask shoots his tendrils out at Team PNGC, Johnny and Citrine.

Glade lets out a primal scream as he creates fist constructs and batts the tendrils away one by one. Prim adds a humanoid construct of her own, the resulting combo blasts the tendrils away with a single punch.

Prim chases a hooded figure and grabs him by the shoulder. Bloodshot green eyes pierce her as his manicured hand grabs her by the throat.

Yes, Team PNGC will be the main stars of the next installment. Citrine, Eiess, Nova and Johnny will play be major recurring characters as well. One of the new characters is named Hina, and I think you're really going to like her. The other one doesn't have a name yet but he's a local cook that Team PNGC is going to be hanging out with in their downtime. When I get to that story, it won't have a daily upload. Instead, the chapters are all going to be much, much longer and self contained with a bit more of a selective omniscient view.

To address the question left by the guest: I do have a picture of Team PNGC and that picture will be part of the story image when I get there. Glades behavior with Prim is going to be interesting. He's supportive but there is part of him that's jealous. But by the time the next story starts it's something he's had to deal with for a while. He supports Prim all the way-since he was never quite as outgoing or adventurous as Prim- but he will be getting annoyed by those who idolize her. This'll be especially true for the revolving door of boys she has hitting on her, dating her etc. But don't let all that fool you, Prim has a lot going for her but Glade is going to be equally strong when it comes to fighting. And Nickel may in fact be stronger, on account of her android body and all. There will be a set of chapters where Glade has to deal with that, and it's incited by a girl who comes in and strokes Glade's ego-if you know what I mean ;)

I'm not sure how long the story will end up being. Because the plot structure, pacing and chapter length is going to be way different than what I've done in the past, I could make it run indefinitely. The world isn't going to ever really be at stake, so as long as I can think of creative challenges for the teams to fight I can just keep it going.

Now for another fun thing. Someone asked me about power scaling before and I decided to comb through the characters I've used. I ranked them all within their respective generations and then ranked them all together. I did not include the Grimoire since they really are just as strong as the plot needs them to be (too many factors determining their power) and I didn't include any of the New Generation characters since I haven't really decided how they'll stack up. So here's a list of the most powerful named characters at their strongest according to me after giving it about an hour of thought.

50\. Mantis Trill- The psychic guy that served as the lynch pin in Salem's forces.

49\. Helen Troy- Fall Maiden and Queen of Mistral during the end of the Great War.

48\. Hayan Wukong- King of the Rock, Sun's ancestor and a war hero that stopped Mantle's forces from crossing into Vacuo.

47\. Crimson Blaze- The fire armored guy that burned down Nightingale hospital, nearly killed Qrow and Summer, got killed by Tethys then got brought back years later as a deadeye and beat the shit out of Yang.

46\. Jaune Arc- Leader of Team JNPR. Ruby's husband. Hero of the Grimm War that fought against Void and King, cut off Salem's fingers and went down in legend.

45\. Raymond Rose- Argentware who helped end the Great War.

44\. Weiss Schnee- Head of the SDC, member of Team RWBY. She also defeated the Grimoire Panic (with help from Team FNKI).

43\. Cloak Voyage- Lightbringer Doll responsible for orchestrating Cipher's rise and Avis' resurrection.

42\. Dagger Kane- Lightbringer Doll that killed Ren and many others.

41\. Adam Taurus- White Fang leader and Salem's representative in the organization.

40\. Qrow Branwen- Member of Team STRQ. Leader of the Red Knights during the Grimm War. Headmaster of Beacon after the Grimm War.

39\. Raven Branwen- Member of Team STRQ and leader of the Arbiters.

38\. Craven Branwen- Hailed as the strongest member in the Branwen lineage. Went toe-to-toe against both Qrow and Raven.

37\. Tobi- Salem's puppet and leader of the Black Knights.

36\. Null Mu- Former Headmaster of Shade. Had the ability to slip into a pocket dimension (very similar to Cloak now that I think about it).

35\. Felix Striter- Copy Cat Huntsman. Youngest Headmaster ever and the first Faunas to hold that title. Ruby totally geeked out the first time she met him.

34\. Sol Machina- Violet Rose's friend and rival from Atlas Academy. Deus Machina's great-grandfather.

33\. Oscar Pine- Ozpin's son and heir to his position and knowledge.

32\. Griffon- August's master and member of the Arbiters.

31\. Penny Polendina- First fully functional android capable of generating an aura.

30\. Tyrian Callows- Professional assassin, bandit and zealous servant of the Queen.

29\. August Gold- Leader of Team ARRN. Current leader of the Arbiters.

28\. Summer Rose- Ruby's mother. Leader of Team STRQ.

27\. Roman Ebony- Leader of Mantle's military during the Great War.

26\. Acacia Glens- Spring Maiden at the end of the Great War.

25\. Jackson Schnee- Founder of the SDC at the end of the Great War.

24\. Glynda Goodwitch- Ozpin's right hand. Huntsmen Commander during the Grimm War.

23\. Winter Schnee- Huntsmen Commander during the Grimm War. Leader of Atlas Academy.

22\. Yang Xiao Long- Member of Team RWBY. Wielder of the Blessed White Raven power. Defeated the Grimoire Fury during the Grimm War.

21\. Rio Azul- Member of Team ARRN. Current head of the Azul family.

20\. Ao Kisame- Member of Team AKAS. Said to have unlimited aura.

19\. Ozpin- The Wizard's apprentice. Wielder of ancient knowledge and power.

18\. Avis Bran- Founder of Cipher. Smartest mind in Remnant's history.

17\. Mordor Draco- Black Knight leader during the Faunas War. Able to pierce any object. Skull-rounds are made from his DNA.

16\. Tethys Azul- Former head of the Azul Family and Headmaster of Haven.

15\. Julius Season- Violet Rose's husband. Vytal Festival champion. Has beaten fully trained Maidens. Even in a weakened form he stood toe-to-toe with Ruby (when Ruby was pretty close to her strongest).

14\. Arthur Arc- Credited with ending the Great War. First wielder of Corcea Mors.

13\. Necros Faust- Semblance is WAY TOO OP. Please nerf.

12\. Ambrose Thurston- Violet Rose's greatest rival. All around badass.

11\. Violet Rose- Hailed as the strongest fighter in her generation.

10\. Elsa Gloss- Winter Maiden at the end of the Great War and wife to Jackson Schnee.

9\. Ebony Sterling- Current Winter Maiden.

8\. Amber Thurston- Ambrose's mother and Summer Maiden at the end of the Great War.

7\. Octavia "Kraken" Grinnitch- Summer Maiden who taught Ruby how to use her powers. On-again-off-again lover and babymomma to Qrow.

6\. Allister Mordred- Founder of the Black Knights. Dude who dropped meteors on his enemies. Single handedly defeated Vale's army countless times.

5\. Levi "Vile" Seerlivey- Cipher Commander. The man who ended Ruby's career as a huntress.

4\. Ruby Rose- Savior of the World, Guardian of Remnant and current Spring Maiden.

3\. Cinder Fall- Salem's apprentice, rightful heir and adopted daughter. Ruby's longest standing rival.

2\. Abraham of Argent Way-The Strongest Man to Ever Live. The First Hunter.

1\. Salem- At one point she had all four Maiden powers and at a different point she had all seven Grimoire assimilated in her (Avis only had one plus Flask).


End file.
